Clearview Police Department: Committee Report for Police Chief Selection Standards

MCJ6405: Organizational Leadership

Week 1: Assignment 4
Clearview Police Department: Committee Report for Police Chief Selection Standards

Problem Statement

The importance of management skills as a qualification for candidates for the office of Chief of Police is less than the importance of leadership skills. However, leadership skills must include a level of proficiency in management skills to be effective.

Introduction

In considering the qualifications this committee should be pursuing for candidates for Police Chief, there has been discussion regarding the primacy of management skills over leadership skills. This report seeks to provide the perspective that while management skills are necessary for effective leadership, it is more important to emphasize leadership skills. To do so, this report seeks to answer the following questions: Which leadership and managerial duties of a police chief should the search committee be aware of in order to make a well-rounded decision? Should the new police chief should be a better manager of tasks and finances and have better business skills? Are management skills are more important than leadership skills in law enforcement? Is it easier for a criminal justice leader to hold a leadership position when possessing both business skills and the necessary law enforcement experience? Can a good manager also be a good leader or vice versa?

Which leadership and managerial duties of a police chief should the search committee be aware of in order to make a well-rounded decision?

To begin with, the members of the committee need to be aware that many of the concepts this report discusses in terms of comparing leadership and management skills are confusing. Yukl suggests that this confusion is caused by the use of imprecise terms such as power, management, administration and supervision (2014, p. 3). Considering that the committee has used the terms “business skills” to describe management skills, then this report shall limit the discussion of management skills as those can be used to describe the performance of operational functions of the organization, such as budget planning, recruitment and hiring, infrastructure maintenance, and performance reviews. In contrast, leadership skills will be discussed in the context of skills that can be used in maintaining the personal relationships and influences to achieve the organization's goals. In order to make a justified selection, the committee needs to be aware that both sets of skills are needed; McCallum lists competence as one of the core characteristics of a leader; “It is important for leaders to understand their job requirements and expectations of their position.” (n.d., p. 2).

The members of the search committee have proposed that the new police chief should be a better manager of tasks and finances and that the department could be run much more efficiently with a chief with better business skills.

The first response to this question is to qualify the use of the term “better”. Is the department's goal to turn in reports in time, or to maintain a lower crime rate? One of the issues presented before the committee was that reporting responsibilities have not been met by the outgoing Chief. In an audit of the Savannah-Chatham County Police Department, researchers from Police Executive Research Forum and from the University of Georgia's Carl Vinson Institute of Government found that civilians could perform some police functions in order to put more police on the street. (Matteucci, 2007, para .18) With this perspective, it is possible that either an Assistant Chief or a civilian Administrative Assistant would be able to handle the bulk of reporting duties; however, the incoming Chief must still be competent enough in management to utilize that aid effectively.

Are management skills are more important than leadership skills in law enforcement? How can fairness and adherence to procedure be maintained?

This report advocates the idea that leadership skills are more important than management skills in law enforcement. This is based on two concepts; the necessity of leadership to maintain high levels of ethics, and the idea that organizational goals can not be met with a demoralized work force. This is where the leadership skills of influence use and relationship building come into play. “Many scholars as well as practitioners argue that leadership is one of, if not the most important, factor influencing the ethics and integrity of employees” (Huberts, Kaptein, & Lasthuizen, 2007, p. 590). Wright argues that that ethical behavior in criminal justice organizations is based upon the leadership of those organizations; “ethical behavior within a criminal justice agency is up to the chief executive officer and that individual's management team. “(1999, para 5). Even if line officers behave in a moral manner, they will still be ineffective if they don't strive to do their best. “there is a growing recognition of the need for police executives to treat their employees with the same sense of legitimacy and procedural justice that applies to members of the public. This is sometimes referred to as...'internal procedural justice.'” (Fischer, 2014, p.4). Rosenbaum contends that “workers’ performance is influenced not so much by their pay...but by whether their social and emotional needs are being met in the work environment, (2014, para 10). Gottschalk supports this idea by stating that “supervisors and others in formal positions of power must engage, motivate, and guide... “ and concludes by observing that “it is often argued that leadership represents a crucial determinant of police organizational efficacy” (2011, para. 9).

Is it easier to assume a leadership position in criminal justice for individuals with business skills and also possess the experience necessary to handle important law-enforcement decisions?

It will definitely be easier to assume a leadership position for someone who possesses both management skills, or business skills as they are referred to in this report, and the law enforcement experience necessary to handle important decisions. The necessity of the skills used to perform operational functions has been addressed in the first section of this report. A leader without a minimum competency in the skills cannot be a leader at all. In addition, a leader without the competence to make critical criminal justice decisions will likewise be unable to be a good leader. Experience provides the knowledge that “is important for leaders to

understand their job requirements and expectations of their position” (McCallum, n.d., p. 2).

Could a good manager also be a good leader or vice versa? Should the concepts of leadership and management be considered in isolation from each other?

There is a great deal of overlap in the skillsets. This is not only due to an amount of confusion in terms, but more importantly through the necessity of having both skillsets to be an efficient leader. “Good leaders need to be good managers, with a detailed knowledge of the workings of their organization, facilitating and driving the successful pursuit of organizational goals. “(Gottschalk, 2011, para . 3) Due to this overlap, it is important to understand that the concepts do not work in isolation from each other.

Summary

The qualifications that the committee seeks in a Police Chief should include both management and leadership skills. At the minimum, the candidate should hold a level of management skills to be able to understand and delegate some management tasks to subordinates in order to achieve the department's goals. Although the candidate's leadership skills are more important then the management skillset, especially in maintaining ethical and morale standards, it needs to be noted that these skillsets are not in opposition to each other, but rather complement each other to serve the needs of a strong leader.

References

Fischer, C. (2014). Legitimacy and procedural justice:  A new element of police leadership. Police Executive Research Forum. Retrieved August 20, 2014 from http://www.policeforum.org/assets/docs/Free_Online_Documents/Leadership/legitimacy%20and%20procedural%20justice%20-%20a%20new%20element%20of%20police%20leadership.pdf

Gottschalk, P. (2011). Management challenges in law enforcement: the case of police misconduct and crime. International Journal of Law and Management, 53(3). Retrieved August 22, 2014 from http://search.proquest.com.southuniversity.libproxy.edmc.edu/docview/868256452?pq-origsite=summon

Huberts, L. W. J. C. (Leo), Kaptein, M. (Muel), & Lasthuizen, K. (Karin). (2007). A study of the impact of three leadership styles on integrity violations committed by police officers. Policing: An International Journal of Police Strategies & Management, 30(4), 587–607. doi:10.1108/13639510710833884

Matteucci, M. (2007, February 28). Audit: Police Department needs overhaul. Savannah Now. Retrieved November 9, 2014 from http://savannahnow.com/intown/2007-02-28/audit-police-department-needs-overhaul

McCallum, D. (n.d.). Leadership within the Florida Department of Corrections. Florida Department of Corrections Retrieved August 15, 2014 from http://www.fdle.state.fl.us/Content/getdoc/5ca27f87-d4c4-4a79-b01f-11cc95e24af9/McCallum-David-paper-pdf.aspx

Wright, K. (1999). Leadership is the key to ethical practice in criminal justice agencies.. Criminal Justice Ethics. Retrieved August 15. 2014 from http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Leadership+Is+the+Key+to+Ethical+Practice+in+Criminal+Justice...-a060060343

Rosenbaum, D.. (2014, April 21). Dennis Rosenbaum presents:Building trust inside and out – The challenge of legitimacy facing police Leaders.”. Presented at the NIJ Research for the Real World Seminar. Retrieved September 21, 2014 from http://nij.gov/multimedia/presenter/presenter-rosenbaum2/pages/presenter-rosenbaum2-transcript.aspx

Yukl, G. (2012). Leadership in Organizations [VitalSouce bookshelf version]. Retrieved November 6, 2014 from http://digitalbookshelf.southuniversity.edu/books/9781256650225/id/ch01tab01