NCJ Number
153667
Journal
Campus Law Enforcement Journal Volume: 25 Issue: 1 Dated: (January-February 1995) Pages: 29-32
Date Published
1995
Length
4 pages
Annotation
Campus police leaders should seriously consider implementing a participatory management strategy to empower their organizations and make them healthier and more productive while increasing employee satisfaction, accountability, and responsibility at all levels of the organization.
Abstract
Although academic settings typically consider collaboration and shared decisions to be acceptable approaches, campus police agencies too often maintain rigid, hierarchical management styles and structures that closely resemble the military model. The rigid rank and top-down authority and decisionmaking approach extends beyond emergency circumstances to everyday, routine management operations. For many reasons, campus police agencies may resist organizational change. However, applying the principles of empowerment should significantly improve campus police organizations while increasing the leader's power and authority and increasing a sense of fellowship among employees. Police agencies have several opportunities for implementing an empowerment strategy. Areas in which empowerment can be applied include the process of assessing the organization and developing goals, objectives, and activities; program development; personnel screening and selection; the development of policy and procedures; and the development of performance standards. Using empowerment strategies will improve the quality of work and promote the entrepreneurial environment necessary to thrive in today's campus community. 15 references