More With Less

When “Doing More With Less” Stops Working in the Fire Service

*By Andrew Holter, PhD, SHRM-SCP*

*Firefighter • Paramedic • Organizational Psychologist*

Every fire chief and city manager has heard the phrase “We’ll just have to do more with less.”

It has become part of the vocabulary in public service, but in today’s environment, it’s starting to sound like a warning. Departments everywhere are stretched thin. Overtime is up, stress is rising, and younger firefighters are wondering if the job still offers the sense of purpose and belonging that once defined it.

At some point, doing more with less turns into simply doing less well.

The Leadership Cost of Efficiency Culture

The push to keep everything moving can create short bursts of productivity, but over time it wears people down. Leaders find themselves managing constant urgency instead of managing culture.

Here are some common signs:

* Conversations focus more on numbers than meaning

* Frustration builds between shifts or divisions

* Sick time and burnout increase

* Informal leaders start to drive the tone instead of formal ones

These issues rarely come from a lack of motivation. More often, they show up when people are unclear on expectations, ownership, or accountability. In other words, when the system isn’t aligned.

From Efficiency to Effectiveness

Industrial-Organizational psychology gives us data to back up what many chiefs already know instinctively: efficiency and effectiveness are not the same thing.

Real effectiveness comes from:

* Role Clarity – Knowing what success looks like

* Ownership – Feeling that your work and ideas matter

* Accountability – Fair and consistent standards

* Relationships – Trust strong enough to handle change

These four areas form the foundation of my ROAR™ Framework. When leaders strengthen them, performance improves naturally because people understand what they are working toward and why it matters.

Reframing the Conversation

When leaders start asking “How can we do better with what we have?” instead of “How can we do more with less?”, the tone begins to shift.

That change looks like:

* Curiosity replacing blame

* Initiative being rewarded as much as endurance

* Outcomes measured instead of just activity

* Engagement and safety treated as signs of strong performance

People give more of themselves when they feel supported, trusted, and part of a team that is improving.

Rethinking What “More” Really Means

The next generation of fire service leadership will not be defined by how much we can squeeze out of people. It will be defined by how well we help them succeed.

Departments that focus on culture, ownership, and accountability see higher retention, fewer preventable injuries, and stronger public trust. The most effective departments are not simply surviving with less, they are creating workplaces where people want to stay and grow.

If your organization is ready to start that conversation, I’d like to help.