Management Philosophies

• How can Paul and Stephen's management philosophies affect the work patterns in their respective facilities?
  

Since we don't know whether their shared management philosophy is based on participative or authoritarian principles, we will have to look at the environments that they work in to compare how these philosophies would work. Paul works in a prison with experienced, educated, and well qualified staff; a participative management model would work better in this work environment. Stephen works in a prison in which staff is both over-worked and partly volunteer in nature, an authoritarian or hierarchical model of leadership would be better suited to this prison. If Stephen is attempting to employ a management philosophy which is unsuited for his environment, it will definitely add stress to his workload. Finally, if Stephen is underperforming based on a mismatch of philosphy and work pattern, it will have an effect on prison behavior as a whole;“Staff and offenders look at supervisors’ actions over time. Sustained performance is the only way to win respect and trust and to send the message that the values the manager or supervisor enforces must be taken seriously.” (Campbell, 2006, p. 38)

• How could work pattern and size of the organizational unit affect Paul and Stephen differently? How could it affect the desired management philosophy?
  

Stephen is working with a staff that has a workload that is two and three quarters greater than Paul's staff needs to maintain based on inmate/staff ratios. In addition, Stephen's prison is overcrowded, with more then double the capacity the prison was designed to secure, while Paul's prison is only 5% over capacity. Farkas identifies not only the unique nature of correctional employment, but the factors that make it a high stress occupation, including the stress created by working in a low resource environment.(2001, p.20) A leader that emphasizes with his line troops will internalize their distress to some point, regardless of management philosophy.

• How could the prisons that Paul and Stephen work in differ with regard to crises? How could this influence their management philosophy?
  

“the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports correctional officers have one of the highest rates of on-the-job injuries, mainly because of inmate assaults. (Stallworth, 2013, para. 2) Paul works in a mixed security facility with a lower staff to inmate ratio; his management philosophy does not have to be “on a war footing”. Stephen, whose prison is understaffed and overcrowded with “dead-enders”, is dealing with a high level of tension. Although correctional officers should always be prepared for the possibility of assaults by inmates, officers in Stephen's prison are more likely to become involved in a crisis situation. Stephen's management philosophy must take this into consideration.



For both Stephen and Paul, no matter which model their management philosophy is most aligned with, their major obligation is to be a strong leader. “Strong leaders inspire loyalty, encourage personal achievement, gain consensus and commitment to the organizational mission, promote dedication and hard work, foster care for one another, moderate job stress, and expect moral and ethical behavior. “ (Wright, 1999, para. 6 )

Campbell, N. (2006). Correctional leadership competencies for the 21st century: Manager and supervisor levels. National Institute of Corrections, DOJ. Retrieved August 15, 2014 from http://static.nicic.gov/Library/020475.pdf

Farkas, M. A. (2001). Correctional officers: What factors influence work attitudes? Corrections Management Quarterly, 5(2), 20. Retrieved September 5, 2014 from

http://search.proquest.com.southuniversity.libproxy.edmc.edu/docview/214563384/BAF2FB352AED49D6PQ/3?accountid=87314

Stallworth, R. (2013, June 11). The war beyond the walls:We are under attack inside the walls and now outside of them as well. CorrectionsOne. Retrieved August 17, 2014, from http://www.correctionsone.com/officer-safety/articles/6270478-The-war-beyond-the-walls/

Wright, K. (1999, June 22). 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