Human Resources Practices Assessment for the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office - Final Report

• NCJ Number: 79956
• Author(s): F Sistrunk; P L Smith
• Date Published: 1981
• Length: 360 pages
• Grant Number(s): 79-DF-AX-0196
• Sponsoring Agency: US Dept of Justice
• Corporate Author: University of South Florida
• Sale Source: National Institute of Justice/
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This LEAA-funded project's attempt to develop and implement systematic procedures to assess the human resources problems and needs in the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office (Florida) is detailed.

Abstract

The objectives of the project were to identify critical human resources problem areas or needs, to prioritize identified problem areas or needs, and to recommend plans of action to solve these problems. The project examined records and documents in the sheriff's office and interviewed personnel there. A specially constructed instrument, the Human Resources Practices Questionnaire, was then administered to a wide range of law enforcement personnel. The survey also included four standardized human resources instruments: the Job Descriptive Index, the Job Diagnostic Survey, the Organizational Climate Questionnaire, and the Job Involvement Questionnaire. An examination of the performance appraisal system used by the sheriff's office was also conducted. The assessment classified human resources practices into 26 functional areas. Only three of these were identified and judged to be high priority needs. They were personnel selection and promotion, organizational motivation systems, and performance appraisal. Four additional areas were identified as being implicated in any problemsolving action for the high priority needs. There were job design and description, job satisfaction analysis, and organizational climate analysis. It was also considered that the areas of job evaluation, worker deployment, and attrition should be carefully monitored. The project recommended the conduct of criterion-related validation studies for selection and promotion procedures, the modification of organizational motivation systems in order to enhance job performance, and the upgrading of the performance appraisal system through the construction of job-specific performance evaluation procedures and the provision of additional training to supervisors. An organizational chart, tables, and 28 references are supplied. Data collection and analysis forms and study results are appended. (Author summary modified)