Micro Paper 5_KelsoOrganizations have a significant need to work collectively and build team strategies in a collaborative climate. According to DeWine (2001), a cooperative environment is a necessity for building an effective team (p. 284). The agencies involved show a strong commitment to common goals and strategies that are critical to maintaining or increasing the unit's readiness and effectiveness (DeWine, 2001). The agency's interdisciplinary efforts and ongoing preparedness among law enforcement and fire departments enhance public safety and member safety. Communication within the collaborative team context, including how organizations function culturally, increases mutual interdependence among participating government agencies (Thompson, 2008). Relationship intervention strategies for the San Diego Fire Department's Metro Arson Strike Team (MAST) focus on increasing leadership communication and decreasing negative perceptions among the workforce. Government agency leaders struggle to maintain adequate staffing levels. According to Thompson (2008), teams are generally understaffed and the perception of not having enough staff leads to overstaffing bias (p. 90). This belief is incorrect in the case of the MAST Unit. One of the recommended strategies is to increase staffing allocations because the current number of staff is seriously unsafe. The majority of MAST members are assigned part-time and have collateral duties. This delays responses to arson incidents because members are not dedicated full time to arson investigations. Additionally, the unit is without key support staff due to budget cuts, leaving supervisory staff to perform tedious administrative tasks. This is not the best use of people...... middle of paper ......rns on personally identifying their responses to executive leaders. According to DeWine (2001), interviewing employees about the unit creates expectations of needed change from the workforce (p. 143). Executive leaders did not demonstrate the level of anxiety demonstrated by line workers or supervision, but they felt concerned about the reputations of their respective agencies. I spoke with my primary representative at the San Diego Fire-Rescue Metro Arson Strike Team about my findings. One of the accomplishments the representative spoke about was the funding of training and equipment through grants. Lack of administrative support has hindered these efforts. References DeWine, S. (2001). The consultant's profession: Improving organizational communication. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's.Thompson, L.L. (2008). Team building: a guide for managers. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.