The document discusses the development of police management from classical bureaucracy to modern approaches, noting the influence of behavioral science in moving to more flexible, democratic models. It also examines contemporary issues in police organization like paramilitary influences, Compstat and organizational performance measurement. Key concepts covered include systems theory, contingency theory, and the sociology of police organizational change.
The document discusses the development of police management from classical bureaucracy to modern approaches, noting the influence of behavioral science in moving to more flexible, democratic models. It also examines contemporary issues in police organization like paramilitary influences, Compstat and organizational performance measurement. Key concepts covered include systems theory, contingency theory, and the sociology of police organizational change.
The document discusses the development of police management from classical bureaucracy to modern approaches, noting the influence of behavioral science in moving to more flexible, democratic models. It also examines contemporary issues in police organization like paramilitary influences, Compstat and organizational performance measurement. Key concepts covered include systems theory, contingency theory, and the sociology of police organizational change.
The document discusses the development of police management from classical bureaucracy to modern approaches, noting the influence of behavioral science in moving to more flexible, democratic models. It also examines contemporary issues in police organization like paramilitary influences, Compstat and organizational performance measurement. Key concepts covered include systems theory, contingency theory, and the sociology of police organizational change.
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The document discusses the development of police management from classical to modern approaches and the influence of bureaucracy and behavioral science on police organization.
A bureaucratic organization aims to maximize effectiveness and efficiency through specialization, centralization, rules, meritocracy and impersonality.
Elements of a learning organization in police departments include having a research and development unit, expanding police-researcher partnerships, organizing work around problem-oriented policing, and matching performance to industry standards.
Development of Police Management
Classical police management: Bureaucracy
(Max Weber) Characteristics that organizations need in order to operate on a rational basis
Bureaucratic Organization is designed to:
maximize effectiveness by which an organizations goals are accomplished maximize efficiency by getting the most done at the least cost control uncertainty by regulating workers, supplies, markets, etc. Police Administration Modern Police Organization exhibits all of these bureaucratic traits: Specialization (organized into bureaus - patrol, investigation, support, administration, resources) Centralization/hierarchy (Police Chief) Rules (Dept. Policies/Regulations designed to guide police behavior, Rule of Law) Meritocracy (college education, police academy competitive application, time-in-rank system of promotion, police productivity) Impersonality (impartial interpreters of situations on the street, application of law) The Managerial Process Management Directing individuals to achieve organizational goals in an efficient and effective manner Supervision Focuses primarily on leading and controlling Organizing The process of arranging personnel and physical resources to carry out plans and accomplish goals and objectives Leading Motivating others to perform various tasks that will contribute to the accomplishment of goals and objectives Planning The process of preparing for the future by setting goals and objectives and developing courses of action for accomplishing them Controlling The process by which managers determine how the quality and the quantity of departmental systems and services can be improved, if goals and objectives are being accomplished Chain of command The higher the position, the greater the power, authority, and influence Police Administration Traditional Police Administration Model:
Paramilitary in Design and Organization
classic bureaucracy consistent with reformers and legalistic models Wilsons (1950) Police Administration is the classic example limits discretion goal is to control crime Problems with Bureaucracies: Rigid, inflexible Communication chains are faulty Internally focused Contributes to authoritarian policing style Stifles creativity by limiting the talents of its employees; alienating - may contribute to cynicism & low worker satisfaction Behavioral Management Classical approach attacked by police management theorists in the early 1970s
Need for a more flexible and democratic organizational
model Research indicated that police work was not directly related to law enforcement, but rather to maintaining order and providing social services How much of police work focused on crime? 10-20% The knowledge gained from the behavioral science research began to influence the police: Importance of increased employee involvement in decision-making, of recognizing a broader police role, and of working in partnerships with the community Complexity of police job is eclipsed by bureaucratic models Contemporary Police Management Systems theory: Importance of interdependence
All parts of a system are interrelated & dependent on one
another. Closed system: Does not interact and adapt to its environment Open system: Interacts with and adapts to its environment
Contingency theory: Based on open systems theory
Recognizes many internal & external factors that influence organizational behavior Contingency management: It all depends on the particular situation
What are the main environmental factors for PDs?
Constituencies/influences include: Community, Organization, Legal, Political and Individual Institutional Theory & Police Org. Contemporary theory that argues organizations are not entirely rational entities (Crank & Langworthy 1992) Agencies respond to influences who are key players in the LEGITIMACY of the organization Key Players known as SOVEREIGNS Who are relevant sovereigns for police agencies? Sovereigns are active in Myth/Conventional W isdom spinning. Thus PDs wind up changing to ensure legitimacy in response to new myths (rather than a rational basis for action) The Sociology of Police Change Institutional Theory predicts organizational change to occur in 2 situations: When the changes have symbolic value for the legitimacy of the PD When the changes do not upset the day-to-day of the PD
The result: Change is often symbolic.
with little tangible impact (other than in the image management/PR aspect of the PD) Contemporary Police Management Private sector influences on ManagementApproaches: Corporate strategies
Developed through a process that examines how the
organizations capabilities fit the current and future environmental demands
Ttal quality management (TQM)
o Quality-control techniques and the process of continuous improvement
Reinventing government
Improving organizational performance through
reorganization, downsizing, and TQM Organizational Design Concerned with the formal patterns of arrangements developed by police management to link people together in order to accomplish organizational goals Modern Police Organization: T all vs. Flat Designs aTll: Hierarchical & Narrower control Flat: Few hierarchical levels & Wider control -Decentralized:Authority and decision-making are delegated to lower organizational levels - Emphasizes discretion, Requires better trained officers, Generalists (democratic?) Modern Police Organization: Organizational Design & Community Policing Criticism of the Classical Paramilitary Design: As departments moved toward community policing, the paramilitary design is being questioned
1. Strict rules cannot be applied to policing because of the
nature of the work 2. Orders are rarely required 3. Agreat amount of initiative and discretion are required 4. Managerial philosophy is characterized by an attitude of distrust, control, and punishment Modern Police Organization Continued influence of Paramilitary Design The simultaneous rise of: a) Flat Structures b) PPUs (Kraska and Cubellis 1997) Generic term for tradition SWAT Becoming a normal part of routine patrol work Not just reserved for crisis/emergency response) Not attributable to fluctuations in serious crime rate Compstat & Zero tolerance policing Acronym for COMPare ST A Tistics echnology as a mechanism for assessing T performance & achieving accoutability Utilizes current crime data to analyze crime patterns and to respond quickly with appropriate resources and crime strategies Allows top-level managers to share information about crime and holds them accountable for the crime rate in their jurisdictions Measuring police performance Evaluating the Effectiveness of Police Organizations: Do they accomplish their goals? V a riety of Goals Crime and disorder measures Uniform Crime Report National Incident-Based Reporting System National Crime Victimization Survey Arrest rates Crime clearance rates Community measures Individual and team measures Change in Police Organizations Police Departments as Learning Organizations An organization that is able to process what it has learned and adapt accordingly. Elements of a Learning Organization: Research and Development unit. Actually does R&D, not simple statistical profiles of department activities. Expand police-researcher partnerships. Some departments actually hire criminologists to work with their R&D sections. Organize police work around POP and take seriously the SARA model of problem solving. Use senior police executives to reduce turf battles between department sections. Match police performance levels to present-day industry standards. (Every community should require a stockholders report on its local department.) Managing Group Behavior Police Subculture: What is Subculture? Informal organizational influences including values, beliefs and norms for behavior Perhaps more influential than formal organizational factors How is it created and supported? Socialization: Recruits learn the values and behavioral patterns of experienced officers In response to insularity Public world of policing: Presented to the public as the essence of police work Private world of policing: Characterized as politically conservative, closed, or secretive, with a high degree of cynicism and an emphasis on loyalty, solidarity,and respect for authority Employee Organizations & Unions