MCJ6405:
Organizational Leadership
Week
5
Assignment 4
The Value of Experience over Training in
Criminal Justice Management
Problem
Statement
The
ability to think strategically cannot be taught in a classroom or
through formal training; it only comes with experience on the job.
Which
one of the two is more important in a leadership position-experience
or training? Why?
Experience
will trump training as a leadership component value in most cases;
however, the two qualities each have valuable contributions, and
should reinforce other; “leadership can be learned in formal
academic settings, they also believe that it is imperative
that the knowledge and skills gained need reinforcement within the
workplace”
(Carmenaty, 2013, p. 21). One one side of a values comparison, “One
could argue that most degree-seeking majors are unaware of law
enforcement
realities,
and are therefore unqualified to espouse valid assessments”
(Carlan, 2007, p. 61), and yet, “studies
indicate that law enforcement officers that have attained higher
levels of education beyond a high school diploma were more versatile
within their environment” (Carmenaty, 2013, p. 61). By
understanding that these qualities can complement each other,
criminal justice leaders can use strategies that synthesize the
qualities in creating future leaders, as this discussion will review
shortly.
Do
you believe experience is more valuable in a criminal justice
leadership position than in the corresponding positions in other
fields? Why? Examine with reference to the fact that the detailed
field knowledge gained on-the-job cannot be collated and condensed
into the most comprehensive of the training programs.
Experience
is even more valuable a quality in the criminal justice field than in
other professions due to the high stakes involved in resolving
issues; people
die, officers go to jail, taxpayers pay the brunt of lawsuits
. Examination of the balance between leadership and experience has
been sparse; “Literature
on leadership in policing has, with a few notable exceptions, focused
on either the possible application of general organizational and
leadership theories within policing contexts...Less has been done to
examine leadership within the cultural and occupational contexts of
policing” (Schafer, 2009, p.240). However, many of those that work
in the profession, as opposed to the academics that study it, have
chimed in conclusively; “From the perspective of craft,
professionalism is defined quite differently. Experience,
not scientific knowledge,
is the foundation of effective police work. By encountering a variety
of situations and people
over time, patrol officers learn valuable, practical knowledge and
develop specific skills” (Willis, 2013, p.3). Perhaps a field
sergeant can summarize the comparison:
Administrators
looking at people's paper accomplishments vs what they have been
doing in
the
ļ¬eeld. The guy who has avoided getting dirty and punched his ticket
vs the guy who is in
the
mud puddle getting the job done. Administrators tend to focus on the
ļ¬rrst group rather
than
the second or a combo of the two […] we have diminished the quality
of our leaders.
We
promote those who can take a good test or build a paper empire but
have little “real”
experience
in the ļ¬eeld. (Schafer, 2009, p.248)
Do
you think that a leader who has been trained in the latest management
techniques will have less tension with more experienced subordinates?
Why? Conversely, how can an experienced leader manage subordinates
who possess more qualifications?
The
perspective of the field sergeant quoted above shows the level of
tension that can arise when those that “learn” management
techniques are set above those that learn in the field. “From the
inception of academic criminal justice, law enforcement personnel
(administrators and officers) have espoused skepticism toward the
practical value of a college education” (Carlan,
2007, p. 609). This skepticism extends to management training, and
there are reasons for it. Schafer references McCall and Hollenbeck
in this statement; “Despite 'an unending ļ¬ow of books,
videotapes, and leadership gurus, despite leadership development that
costs millions of dollars each year' there is still an absence of
true and effective leadership in most organizations( 2009, p.242).
Paterson discusses research in the 1990's which indicated that LEO's
were asking “questions about the value of higher education beyond
the legitimacy and credibility provided to the police by
accreditation (2011, p. 289). On the other hand, some
“officers with higher
education [felt] that they have an advantage over officers with no
or only a partial college education ‘in some practices such as
accepting responsibility, undertaking leadership roles and
initiative” (del Carmen, Butler, & Odo, 2006, 213). Eastman
and McCain support those officers' position;
“It is
difficult for an intellectually inferior officer to successfully
supervise a subordinate who is more intelligent than he by virtue of
a four-year liberal arts education” (Eastman & McCain, 1973, p.
114). However, there is an assumption that formal education in
itself is a sign of intellectual superiority. “Bayley observes that
‘in several respects universities, American ones at least, maybe
even less rational than the police, despite their pretensions to
intellectual superiority, rationality, and selļ¬ess service.’ This
is extremely ironic, since academics have been in the forefront in
criticizing police organizations as ‘rigid, unreflective,
ineffective, wasteful, unaccountable, bureaucratized, self-serving,
and hide-bound.’
The paper can be taken as
a word of caution for those police and reformers who might
idealistically believe that higher education has all the answers for
the problems of the police. (Cordner & Shain, 2011, p. 283)
In
the volatile environment of criminal justice, what are the problems
that the leader might face if he relies too much on either of these:
Provide
in-depth reasoning as you consider both situations and support your
response with examples.
Despite the criticism of
formal credentials in the preceding discussion, it should not be
inferred that training and education have no value. To repeat,
utilizing leadership training in conjunction with experience is the
best way of developing leaders. Because experience matters most, it
should be a priority in the process; “Once officers gain employment
experience, they should be capable of
judging educational
value”
(Carlan, 2007, p. 616).
Schafer recognizes this in his research; “Respondents
recognized the value in teaching fundamentals and theories of
leadership, but felt this
learning would be enhanced through the guided application” (2009,
p. 247). A criminal justice leader that relies on experience only
may neglect to internalize some fundamental concepts of either the
criminal justice task or of simple leadership principles; “the fair
and
equitable
application of criminal justice plays an integral part of a liberal
education” (Kingshott, Hughes, Mullendore, & Prinsloo, 2008,
p.65). A leader that fails to utilize either value to advance skills
simply won't succeed; “In
an environment that is as unpredictable and volatile as in law
enforcement,
leader’s that fail to
develop eventually become victims of their own demise...”
(Carmenaty, 2013 p. 35).
How
can leaders in criminal justice develop the skills in areas in which
they have a deficit? What are the organizational conditions which can
facilitate this leadership training? Explain the techniques and
theories that can be adopted.
The
first thing that a criminal justice leader must do to develop his
leadership skills is to make the personal commitment to do so;
“mastering the environmental context is simply an act
of
choice and willingness to interact in a manner that requires intimate
and engaging
relationships
with self and others” (Carmenaty, 2013 p. 19). These leaders need
to take advantage of training opportunities provided by their
agencies; “Successful organizations typically provide leadership
development programs to enhance the skills of their employees,
supervisors, and managers” (Moriarty, 2104, para. 7). This is
fairly common;”A number of states also operate “command colleges”
intended
to further the leadership and management development of participating
officers”
(Schafer, 2009, p.241). For those leaders without such resources to
draw upon, they need to locate and act upon such opportunities they
can secure themselves, lest they “ eventually become victims of
their own demise”.
References
Carlan,
P. E. (2007). The criminal justice degree and policing: Conceptual
development or occupational primer? Policing,
30(4),
608-619. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/13639510710833893
Carmenaty,
D. (2013). Examining
the relationship between the effects of formal education and the
police manager’s leadership style through the full range leadership
dimensions
(Ph.D.). Our Lady of the Lake University, United States -- Texas.
Retrieved December 6, 2014 from
http://search.proquest.com.southuniversity.libproxy.edmc.edu/docview/1321226042/abstract?accountid=87314
Cordner,
G., & Shain, C. (2011). The changing landscape of police
education and training. Police
Practice & Research,
12(4),
281–285. doi:10.1080/15614263.2011.587673
Del
Carmen, A., Butler, R. R., & Odo, J. C. (2006). Criminology and
Criminal Justice through the Lenses of the Law Enforcement Community:
An Attitudinal Assessment. Criminal
Justice Studies,
19(2),
209–222. doi:10.1080/14786010600764583
Eastman,
G. D., & McCain, J. A. (1973). Police managers and their
perceptions of higher
education.
Journal
of Criminal Justice, 1 , 113-124
Kingshott,
B. F., Hughes, F., Mullendore, K., & Prinsloo, J. (2008). A
leadership approach to criminal justice education: developing
tomorrow’s decision makers. Criminal
Justice Studies,
21(1),
61–77. doi:10.1080/14786010801972712
Moriarty,
S. (2014, December). The Leadership in Police Organizations Program
in the Delaware State Police: Recommendations for law enforcement
leadership development. The
Police Chief.
Retrieved December 6, 2014 from
http://www.policechiefmagazine.org/magazine/index.cfm?fuseaction=display_arch&article_id=1792&issue_id=52009
Paterson,
C. (2011). Adding value? A review of the international literature on
the role of higher education in police training and education. Police
Practice & Research,
12(4),
286–297. doi:10.1080/15614263.2011.563969
Schafer,
J. A. (2009). Developing effective leadership in policing: perils,
pitfalls, and paths forward. Policing,
32(2),
238–260.
doi:http://dx.doi.org.southuniversity.libproxy.edmc.edu/10.1108/13639510910958163
Willis,
J. J. (2013). Improving police: What’s craft got to do with
it? Ideas
in American Policing,
16.
Retrieved August 10, 2014 from
https://www.policefoundation.org/sites/g/files/g798246/f/201306/IAP16_Willis_2.pdf
