Reorganization of the Ocean Drilling Program

Introduction

Since last spring when the Program's leadership challenged all components of the Ocean Drilling Program to achieve optimal effectiveness, a number of initiatives have been implemented at ODP/TAMU that are designed to make us even more effective in delivering our services. In response to a request by the Program's Executive Committee, we have incorporated the principles of Project Management, with a goal to better integrate activities across functional boundaries and to develop a better linkage between costs and the services we provide. As a consequence of the incorporation of Project Management into our organization, we have modified the job requirements for our staff scientists who will have increased authority and responsibility for the services provided on a leg of drilling operations. We have, in addition, reviewed the long range science objectives of the Program and used these data to define a five year strategic plan for ODP/TAMU focused on achieving enhanced science delivery to ensure long term competitiveness. To achieve the goals of these initiatives most effectively, ODP/TAMU instituted a major reorganization in December (see Figure 1. Organizational structure).

To arrive at the new ODP/TAMU organizational model, the Director's Office utilized contributions from a broad range of sources including recommendations by ODP/TAMU staff, comments provided by the science community, and proposals made by a management consultant team hired specifically to review the organizational structure of ODP/TAMU. The new model is revolutionary in that it fundamentally alters our organizational structure to most effectively incorporate leg-based project management while maintaining a coherent and supporting functional structure. Furthermore, we achieve greater functional efficiency by re-distributing disciplinary expertise within the organization. The re-organization results in the elimination of one functional department and affects 74 positions in the organization by modifying, reassigning, eliminating existing positions, as well as creating positions. The benefit will be a more streamlined and integrated organization, allowing ODP/TAMU to be more competitive by providing the best service to the community for the lowest possible cost.

New organization

Review of both the old organizational structure and departmental tasks has identified areas where structural reorganization will enhance the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of the overall Program. This transformation includes redefining departmental functionality, eliminating departmental redundancies, redefining individual task assignments, creating new positions, and eliminating positions no longer necessary. The new ODP/TAMU organization consists of the Office of the Director, Administrative Services, Science Services, Drilling Services, Information Services and Publication Services, and represents a significant structural change reflecting a substantial paradigm shift. The premise of the new structure is that ODP/TAMU activities are divided into two distinct, yet intertwined, functions--operations and services. Operational functions focus on activities related to the successful implementation of each scheduled cruise using project management techniques. Service activities focus on all tasks that indirectly support leg functions or are a consequence of leg-related projects such as strategic planning, technological developments, personnel, resource allocation, publications, and data and core archiving. Effective management and facilitation of these two components will be the responsibility of two Deputy Directors. The current Deputy Director position is modified to the Deputy Director of Operations and the position of Deputy Director of Services is newly created. This divided Deputy Director structure is necessary to ensure appropriate supervision, direction and resource management of both functional departments and leg operations. Such a structure also allows the Director to maintain broad programmatic oversight of ODP/TAMU, while also having sufficient time to deal effectively with external obligations of the Science Operator.

Included in this new framework is the integration of the technical functions and corresponding personnel into the Science Services Department, and integration of the logistical functions and appropriate personnel into the Drilling Services Department. This modification eliminates redundancies of effort, unifies implementation of programmatic goals, provides consistency in responsibility and authority, maximizes the cost-effectiveness of the technical and logistical services ODP/TAMU provides to the client, and ensures closer scientific overview of technical support functions. With redistribution of responsibilities and supporting personnel, there is no longer a need for a Technical and Logistics Department.

Modifications proposed for the Information Services Department focus on better integration, oversight and cost-effectiveness of services provided to the science community and other ODP/TAMU departments. The Curatorial group was originally assigned to this department based upon individual experience, not on functional alignment. Curation is a scientific service and requires closer alignment with Science Services. Management of the Curation function must carefully balance the requirement to implement a sampling policy that maximizes the science that can be obtained from the cores with the responsibility to preserve the cores for decades until new scientific technology enables even more information to be gleaned. In order to provide greater scientific oversight, the Curatorial group is transferred to the Science Services Department.

Second-order changes include reassigning the computer systems operation in Administrative Services to the computer group in Information Services and photographic services in Publication Services to Information Services.

Central to this new order is the adoption of leg-project management and an overall team approach. The formalized use of leg-project management throughout ODP/TAMU for cruise-related and special operating activities is new and requires substantial changes in routine procedures. In the new structure, Staff Scientists and, when required, Engineers will become Project Managers for legs and will coordinate leg-related resources including personnel, budget and a team consisting of representatives from each department. This team will be responsible for all aspects of each cruise.