Accountable and suitable leadership
is essential to the success of any organization (Spinelli, 2006). Murphy & Drodge (2003) claimed that a
leader should be ethical, grounded in the mission of the organization, and is
emotionally engaged with employees.
Ginger (2004) pointed out six ‘Golden Rules’ for the modern police
leader to follow:
Service to employees and
the public, unselfishness, calculated awareness (sensitivity to the wider
social, cultural, political and business environments within which the police
service operates), support (subordinates and the pubic), professional
excellence and endurance with integrity.
Bass (1997) suggested that the old
standards of job-centered or employee-centered leadership and autocratic or
democratic leadership and related exchange theories of leadership overlooked
the effects of the leader-employee relations of sharing a vision, representation
and sacrifice. Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs indicated a
person needs to have their physiological needs, safety needs, love and
belonging, esteem needs, and self-actualization met. Herzberg’s Two-Factor
Theory claims in order for a person to feel successful they have to be
motivated and this is accomplished by achievement, recognition of this
achievement, advancement, responsibility, and the nature of the work itself. There are some factors that hinder being
motivated and those are rules and regulations, administration, supervision,
working conditions, and interpersonal values (FDLE, 2010). Webb
(2007) emphasized that leaders who focused on stimulating employees
intellectually, offered rewards, had charisma and individual consideration were
more apt to increase motivation and success in their employees. Transformational
and transactional leadership can better allow employees to obtain their needs
as outlined by Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs and Herzberg’s Two-Factor Theory.
Although there is a plethora of
research on the topic of effective leadership styles there are some researchers
that claim a cross between transformational and transactional to be best for
the modern police leader. Jogulu &
Wood (2007) insisted that using both of these styles of leadership were
essential in running a modern-day organization.
McGuire & Kennerly (2006) noted effective leaders should have a
balance between transformational and transactional leadership that matches that
of its employees. Taylor (2009) claimed it was possible to use
transformational leadership within a transactional setting such as a police
organization. Bass (1997) noted that
transformational leadership could be both autocratic and democratic or even
participative depending on the issues and authority. He suggested more
authoritative transformational leadership would be used during policy
implementation rather than work place decisions. Additionally, a review of literature suggests
that transformational leadership is complementary to and enhances transactional
leadership (Spinelli). Bass (1988)
reasoned a transformational and transactional style of leadership is necessary
for the continuation and development of intricate organizations (as cited in
Spinelli, 2006). Chan & Chan (2005)
added that the use of these two styles of leadership could affect employee
outcomes positively, but not in isolation of each other. Lipley (2004) pointed out that leaders using
both of these styles of leadership are likely to have employees that are more
motivated and feel most supported. Silvestri (2007) believed that the ability of
the leader to encourage, transform, and improve employees’ sense of
belongingness is a fundamental element for the improvement of a police leader. She
declared that a leader who masters the use of such styles will be a champion of
change. McGuire & Kennerly (2006) argued that for an organization to
develop a more transformational culture it would need to hire charismatic
individuals that are less transactional and who demonstrate a balance of
ethics, morals and integrity.
It is widely understood that the face
of police leadership is changing and in order to be and effective leader one
must embrace the changes that are before them.
Jogulu & Wood (2007) insisted that effective leadership not only
institutes a clear vision for the direction of the organization, but must
empower employees to accept the challenges change will bring and cooperate in
accomplishing the mission. Cohen, &
Eimicke (1995) agreed that effective leadership shapes employees’ performance
toward the mission of the organization (as cited in Adebayo, 2004). Murphy (2004) contended that in order to be
an effective leader one must employ behaviors that make their employees feel
respected and seek out advancement opportunities for these employees. Fiedler (1967) suggested there is not just
one ideal leadership style to use for every issue, because they may have more
knowledge and experience in one situation, but may not be as adept in another
(as cited in Murphy, 2005). An example
of this is when the leader knows when to direct and delegate and when to coach
and mentor (Menzies, 2007). An effective
leader must be open-minded and able to accept feedback and adjust their style
of leadership, if necessary, to accommodate the concerns brought forward.
In
conclusion, change is necessary if a police organization wishes to keep up with
the times. The old styles of leadership
must be broken and the organization should encourage and train their leaders to
be more transformational. Partnerships,
power sharing, confidence and even humbleness are supplanting the influence of
rank (IACP, 1999).
This will cause the police
organization to become flatter with less levels of management and fewer clear
differences between them (Wuestewald & Steinheider, 2006). Menzies (2007) proffered that police leaders
who become more collaborative and interdependent in their method to solving
conflicts and show concern for employees or build a collective vision will have
a major emotional impact on their employees.
Taylor
(2009) pointed out that leadership theories enable a person to use the correct
skills in any given situation through a process of understanding, critical
consideration and assessment. A panel of
Chief’s of Police from several agencies in Orange County, Florida, was asked
what style of leadership was best used and the overall consensus was a mixture
because one should not rely on just one style because each situation is
different (FDLE, 2010).
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