Effective leadership is vital for the survival and success of any organization, particularly law enforcement agencies. A dependable and adaptable leadership structure is crucial for the current generation of law enforcement workers due to the dynamic changes facing police departments globally, and particularly across the United States. Police departments thereby require strong, competitive, and responsive leadership to adapt to the myriad of changes facing them today. Traditionally, police leadership and management were based on autocratic leadership which was founded on teamwork, courage, and integrity as well as a shared responsibility. However, modern-day law enforcement agencies are gradually evolving as they grapple with modern issues and challenges (Masal, 2015). Many departments in the United States have begun to realize the need for transformation and the benefits of leadership that is more inclusive of all the officers as well as members of the public as opposed to the authoritative approach that has been the face of police work for several decades.
Autocratic leadership is based on strict adherence to rules similar to members of the military community. The leaders exert total control over the organization, subordinate officers have no room to give feedback or play any role in the creation of ideas or decision making. The rule for officers in autocratic management if to simply obey orders and follow commands without question. This traditional autocratic leadership style is particularly effective in police emergencies when quick and decisive decision making is required in addition to the strict control of officers. However, this style of leadership resulted in an unintended negative consequence. Autocratic leadership in police departments led to the overreliance of police agencies and departments on individual leaders leading to an inability to effectively function in the absence of the autocratic leaders (Yasir, 2016). The challenges that resulted from autocratic leadership styles led to the need for change and the evolution of police leadership to other leadership and management strategies that are more inclusive and responsive to changes. Transactional police leadership has begun to be embraced and utilized in police departments. This style of leadership is similar to the autocratic leadership technique. However, transactional leadership additionally aims to motivate subordinates through a system of rewards and punishments. Adherence to rules and work performance by the officers is measured and used to determine whether punishment or a reward is handed out to a particular officer. This management strategy aims to motivate individual officers to obey rules and commands and work towards the vision of the department through positive and negative reinforcement. Officers obey the rules to attract a reward for a job that is well done, an additional motivator for adherence to rules is the fear of discipline for poor performance (Shim, 2015). The Transactional leadership style has been effective for some police departments due to the personal involvement of individual officers, further, the allure of positive reinforcement versus the fear of punishment has led to the improved performance of many officers and law enforcement agencies. Transformational leadership is also an emerging leadership strategy in many police departments. This style of leadership is people-centered and is focused on the subordinates and junior officers rather than on the members of management. Leaders in this leadership technique are required to inspire subordinates to work toward a shared vision and to empower their team members with the prerequisite knowledge and skills as well as the confidence to carry out their tasks efficiently. Further, transformational leaders are required to motivate individual officers to work towards the goals of the police departments and to strive to give their best in their work. Transformational leaders encourage their subordinates to be innovative and creative in the pursuit of the goals of the organization and reward officers who come up with brilliant and innovative ideas. Subordinates are encouraged to contribute to the generation of ideas and to engage in the decision-making processes in an organization. The active engagement between transformational leaders and subordinates is realized through maintaining an open-door policy that allows for open communication between team leaders and their team members (Bhargavi, 2016). Transformational leadership is effective because it takes into account the needs and skills of individual officers as well as their unique motivations, this allows organizations to tap into their officers’ best police work and to boost departmental performance. The dominance of autocratic and transactional leadership in police departments is gradually getting replaced by transformational leadership. This change has resulted from the evolution of attitudes that have made traditional police leadership styles to lose their appeal. Transformational leadership is proving to be more efficient in the running of police departments globally. This transition from the more traditional leadership to the current transformational leadership is realized through the utilization of educational programs by police leaders. Police leadership can be learned through observation as well as trial and error throughout a career in law enforcement but education in leadership accelerates the learning and change processes (Herrington, 2016). Indeed, education programs that are centered on leadership, for instance, a master's degree in law enforcement and public safety leadership play a great role in accelerating that change process. Leadership education programs equip police leaders with various philosophies of leadership as well as the tools and the strategies required to employ the learned philosophies. Higher education programs for police leaders also accelerate the change by aiding the development of leadership capabilities and the confidence to become assertive forces for change in their departments. However, the transition from the traditional military-like leadership in policing has not been without challenges. Indeed, many officers gain a lot of negative leadership techniques throughout their careers as law enforcement officers. Additionally, officers who are currently in leadership positions had to make their way to the top through several ranks in a military-like department Therefore, many of these police leaders do not agree with all the changes that are taking place currently in police leadership (Herrington, 2016). Also, some seniors do not have the strength of character to accept criticism from junior officers when they are in charge even though feedback and criticism strengthen authority level and respect for leaders by subordinates. In conclusion, effective leadership is essential for the optimal performance of police departments. Effective leaders in law enforcement are responsive and can respond fast and appropriately to situations. Transformational leadership is more effective in motivating the members of an organization to consistently work toward a common goal. However, autocratic leadership also has a continued role to play in law enforcement. Autocratic leadership is most effective in emergencies when rapid decision making is required, for instance, when officers are involved in a shooting and rapid response is needed to save lives. Therefore, the different leadership styles in policing are required for different situations (Yasir, 2016). Good police leaders should examine circumstances to determine what leadership style is required and to utilize the method appropriately.
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References
Bhargavi, S. &. (2016). Leadership styles and organizational performance. Strategic Management Quarterly, 4(1), 87-117.
Herrington, V. &. (2016). Police leadership for complex times. Policing: A journal of policy and practice, 10(1), 7-16.
Masal, D. (2015). Shared and transformational leadership in the police. Policing: An International Journal of Police Strategies & Management.
Shim, H. S. (2015). Police transformational leadership and organizational commitment. Policing: An International Journal of Police Strategies & Management.
Yasir, M. &. (2016). Ethics and morality: Comparing ethical leadership with servant, authentic and transformational leadership styles. International Review of Management and Marketing, 6(4S).
