Critical Behaviours for Good Police Managers

• NCJ Number: 201340
• Author(s): Kim Adams; Karen Beck
• Date Published: 2001
• Length: 46 pages
• Corporate Author: Australasian Centre for Policing Research
• Sale Source: Australasian Centre for Policing Research
• Publication Format: Document
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: Australia

Annotation

This Australian study examined perceptions of the managerial behaviors that should be performed by the ideal police manager from the point of view of their staff and of senior managers.

Abstract

Police organizations invest substantial financial resources in recruiting, selecting, training, and developing managers. There is some suggestion that employees at different levels in the organization may place value on different components of a manager’s behavior. This study, conducted in Australia examined whether perceptions of the behaviors of a “good police manager” vary between manager (inspectors), staff (constables, senior constables, sergeants, and senior sergeants), and senior managers (commissioned officers above the rank of inspector) and whether these perceptions are influenced by whether or not these groups think that the manager should have control over a particular activity. Participants in the study consisted of a sample of sworn members of the New South Wales Police Service divided into three groups based on rank. The Police Managerial Activities Survey (PMAS) was developed as part of this study to assess perceptions of the behaviors of a good manager. Surveys were mailed to 604 police officers with a response rate of 31 percent for the staff group, 34 percent for the manager group, and 38 percent for the senior manager group. Results indicate that there was no consistent difference between the relative ratings of staff and senior managers. The results suggest that staff, managers, and senior managers had a similar perception of the behaviors important to, and frequently performed by, an ideal manager. Overall, more value was placed on behaviors falling under the categories of traditional management and human resource management. The ideal police manager should motivate staff through providing the opportunity to participate in decisionmaking, giving praise, and feedback for good performance and being supportive of staff needs. References and appendices