NCJ Number
159220
Journal
Police Chief Volume: 63 Issue: 1 Dated: (January 1996) Pages: 26,28,31-32
Date Published
1996
Length
4 pages
Annotation
Total Quality Leadership (TQL) is a philosophical concept for organizations that provides a practical means of meeting the current challenge that police agencies face in trying to build trust among the public.
Abstract
As the century draws to a close, the public appears to be increasingly cynical toward and even suspicious of all levels of government. At the same time, a rise in the incidence of violent crime as well as in the numbers of highly publicized trials and police incidents has eroded public confidence in the ability of the police to maintain order and provide protection. TQL focuses on the customer or client and holds that customer satisfaction is the standard by which the organization must measure success. In a TQL organization, the individual is considered to be motivated from within and can thus be trusted to work toward organizational goals. The leader uses greater decentralization of authority, relying less on coercion and control and more on a democratic leadership style that emphasizes participatory decisionmaking. It also focuses on continuous improvement. TQL requires top-level commitment to sustain the effort. 7 reference notes