Why Do You do What You Do?

 

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The Peace Corps is a non-profit organization that promotes peace, understanding, and friendship between the United States of America and other countries of the world. Its mission is to facilitate world peace and integration of cultures by accomplishing three goals. They are as follows: 1) to assist people of interested countries in acquiring essentially skilled Volunteers, 2) to encourage a better perception of Americans in the countries served, and 3) to foster a deeper Americans’ understanding of the other cultures. The vision of the Peace Corps is to promote the world wherein countries support each other for the purpose of mutual prosperity and where people value their customs and traditions to cultivate cultural identity and develop respect for it. The core values are integrity, hard work, dedication, patriotism, and a sense of adventure.

Information about the Peace Corps is available on a detailed website, which primarily directed towards promotion, recruiting, and increasing public awareness of the goals and missions of the Peace Corps. Additionally, Volunteers and employees receive information about global initiatives, strategies, training, safety, and other concerns through directives, memos, and other organizational communications which the organization disseminate by means of the post and the Internet.

Management of the Peace Corps begins with the director that has a number of subordinates. The current director is Carrie Hessler-Radelet. Other senior officers include the Chief of Staff (for Management), the Associate Director of Global Operations, and the Office of Inspector General (an independent department that reports directly to Congress and the Peace Corps Director). Another important position is the Deputy Director who reports to the Director, the Deputy Chief of Staff who inferior to the Chief of Staff, and the Regional Directors reporting to the Associate Director of Global Operations. The President selects the Director and Deputy Director, but Congress has its say in making such decisions. During the 5-year appointment, the Director reports concerns about the Peace Corps to a Congressional Committee.

The Director oversees the management and guidance of the Peace Corps and reports to the President of the United States. Moreover, she selects other senior officers (except for the Deputy Director). She is directly responsible for ensuring the fulfillment of the mission and vision of the Peace Corps by delegating operations and promoting the organizational values of the Peace Corps.

The Deputy Director assists the Director in her duties and is eligible to assume the role of Director upon request on the temporary or permanent basis. He also reviews petitions from countries (also known as Posts) that are requesting for Volunteers. Accordingly, the Deputy Director is immediately responsible for the realization of the first goal of the Peace Corps, which lies in ensuring that Posts receive the Volunteers it requires. However, the Director and the Associate Director of Global Operations should give the final approval of a petition.

The Chief of Staff is the head of the Management section of the Peace Corps. She is in charge of the staff management, both abroad and within the United States. Additionally, the Associate Director for Global Operations (and the Regional Directors as needed) help the main manager coordinate the positions outside of the United States . The Chief of Staff ensures that all the departments, such as human resources, administration, technological support, etc., have employees who share the values and vision of the Peace Corps.

The Deputy Chief of Staff cooperates with the Chief of Staff to provide the management of Peace Corps personnel. Before assigning leadership roles for the various departments, the Deputy Chief of Staff reviews the distribution and submits for approval by the Chief of Staff. She promotes the mission of the Peace Corps by determining that key individuals of the Peace Corps represent the organization in the best light possible.

The Associate Director for Global Operations leads the branch of the Peace Corps that most people are familiar with. He develops and implements policy, procedures, goals, etc. necessary to coordinate Post openings or closings. He also manages overseas Voluntary and Regional operations. The Associate Director along with the Director determines which countries Peace Corps should consider as Posts and allot Volunteers as well as assets.

Regional Directors for Global Operations monitor the activities, budgets, plans, etc. for the Country Directors within their region. They allocate resources, projects, and Volunteers to country programs as well. A Regional Director usually also reviews programming to ensure it is consistent with country needs and values. As he typically lives in and travels through the regions it oversees, the Regional Director should tailor his involvement with the countries to the mission of the Peace Corps. 

Congress approves the appointments of the Director and Deputy Director. A committee also accepts the fiscal budget for the Peace Corps and receives reports from the Office of Inspector General to ensure that the organization meets its goals and that its employees use resources effectively.

The Office of Inspector General reports to Congress, with regard to the management of the Peace Corps, namely how resources are allocated and operations are conducted. Although the Inspector General informs the Peace Corps Director concerning the updates, she remains impartial to limit the incidents of misconduct or misuse of organizational resources.

To conclude, the levels of organization in the Peace Corps allow it to run effectively despite operations in over 60 countries in the world. Its management structure is effective and meticulously planned in terms of taking initiatives, distributing resources, and delegating responsibilities so that senior offices can focus on fulfilling the vision of the Peace Corps. This organization makes a difference and does vital work as it helps maintain good relations between the United States and participating countries.

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