NCJ Number
91066
Journal
Journal of Police Science and Administration Volume: 11 Issue: 3 Dated: (September 1983) Pages: 303-310
Date Published
1983
Length
8 pages
Annotation
In assessing needs that have a bearing on organizational change, this study used the Blockage Questionnaire (Francis and Woodcock), which identifies organizational conditions that prevent people from being as productive as they could be.
Abstract
Each of the blockages explored in the questionnaire consists of 10 statements postulated to reflect the organizational dimension examined. The dimensions or blockages analyzed through the questionnaire are inadequate recruitment and selection, confused organizational structure, inadequate control, poor training, low motivation, low creativity, poor teamwork, inappropriate management philosophy, lack of succession planning and management development, unclear aims, and unfair rewards. The questionnaire was used in four law enforcement organizations: the Metropolitan Police Department, Washington, D.C.; the U.S. Capitol Police, Washington, D.C.; the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Washington Field Office, Washington, D.C.; and the Baltimore County Police Department, Towson, Md. The subjects surveyed were all managerial personnel. A total of 919 instruments were collected from the four organizations. Findings indicated that managerial personnel at different hierarchical levels have conflicting perceptions about the blockages within the organization. The need for a realignment of the views of organizational members is suggested by these findings. Alignments tell people how to do their job, how to interpret each organizational event, and how to undertake organizational duties without subverting individual personal needs. Recommendations are offered for the use of the Blockage Questionnaire as a device for a needs assessment for a police organization. Forty-four references are provided.