240 lines
11 KiB
Plaintext
240 lines
11 KiB
Plaintext
LEADERSHIP IN THE NINETIES
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By
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Ronnie Garner, M.P.A.
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Deputy Chief
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Beverly Hills, California, Police Department
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On a hot, lazy afternoon, a small boy sits barefoot under a
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shade tree, idly watching a small stream of water from a
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sprinkler trickle down the street toward him. As tiny rivulets
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inch their way along the asphalt gutter, they seem to pause at
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each pebble to build momentum and then push forward again.
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Eagerly, the boy grabs handfuls of dirt and builds a small
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dike that momentarily halts the flow. However, the water slowly
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wells up in a puddle and edges its way around the barrier. The
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boy adds more dirt, vainly attempting to outflank and contain the
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water.
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As the battle progresses, it becomes apparent that despite
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the boy's best efforts, he will never prevail. There are larger
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forces of nature at work.
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How often do organizations struggle in a like manner against
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the forces of human nature? An organization is, after all, a
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large pool of human resources. Not unlike the stream of water,
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this pool seeks movement--PROGRESS. It cannot stand still; that
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is not the natural order. It must either move forward or
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stagnate.
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What organizations require is guidance of that movement.
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This guidance comes in the form of direction and leadership.
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Visionary leadership is not for everyone. A gnarled police
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veteran once counseled me to "never try to teach a pig to sing.
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It sounds like hell and it annoys the pig."
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There is some wisdom in that advice. Many police
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administrators become so preoccupied with current problems that
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they fail to plan for the future. Some do not believe that
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strategic planning is worth the effort. Others lack the
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imagination and creativity required to project in the abstract.
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To ask them to conceptualize the organization 5 years in the
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future is akin to asking a pig to sing--it only annoys them. For
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these individuals, the vision of the future must be articulated
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with such vividness and detail that the abstract becomes
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concrete.
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ORGANIZATIONAL VISION
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An organizational vision presents a clear picture of what
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direction the organization plans to take in the future. It should
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represent an achievable, challenging, and worthwhile long-range
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target toward which personnel can direct their energies.
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For example, one police department's vision statement
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projects that a mutual understanding of shared problems will
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result in a high level of confidence and harmony between the
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police and the community. The statement then specifies that the
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department and the community will forge a close and consistent
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partnership to address issues and to solve problems effectively,
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making the city a safe, healthy, and attractive place for
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commerce and community life.
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Having a clear understanding of the organizational vision
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can change an employee's entire perspective. The story is often
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told of a passer-by who asked a bored bricklayer, "What are you
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doing?" The bricklayer replied, "I am placing one brick on top of
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another." The passer-by then asked another bricklayer, who was
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working with greater enthusiasm, "What are you doing?" The second
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bricklayer replied, "I am building a magnificent cathedral where
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hundreds will worship."
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To form an analogy, how many officers simply drive around
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answering radio calls and how many actually make a meaningful
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contribution to the quality of life in the community by
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maintaining order and ensuring that justice prevails? To attach
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real meaning and value to their jobs, employees must understand
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that they are collectively engaged in a worthwhile endeavor. A
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clear organizational vision fills this need.
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ROWING v. STEERING
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Articulating the organizational vision and holding it firmly
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in focus for personnel is a demanding task. Frequently,
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operational problems divert the attention of administrators from
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their primary role as leaders. They must ensure, however, that
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they do not become so involved in rowing the boat that they
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forget to steer the boat.
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In fact, some organizations shift to systems that separate
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policymaking from service delivery in order to allow top managers
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to concentrate on decisionmaking and direction. (1) Those who
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steer must possess the ability to view the whole spectrum of
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issues and possibilities and then balance competing demands for
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resources; rowing requires individuals who focus on one task,
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performing it well. (2)
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Unfortunately, law enforcement administrators often become
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so intent on overseeing the delivery of services that they
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neglect their primary responsibility--steering. Instead, they
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should concentrate on a basic steering challenge: Communicating a
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clear vision of what they hope the organization will become in
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the future, giving employees a goal to work toward.
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While setting such a goal is crucial, leaders must, at the
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same time, make additional information available to employees.
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For example, employees need to know how managers plan to meet
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this goal, what types of conduct are acceptable, and what
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criteria leaders will use for decisionmaking. Administrators
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should make this information available to employees through
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mission and value statements.
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MISSION STATEMENT
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A clear mission statement may be an organization's most
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important asset. It calls attention to what management believes
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is important, and it sets goals that align practices with values.
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(3) In addition, it expresses the purpose for which the
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organization exists, allowing management to set priorities in
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decisionmaking. In other words, it acts as a guide for the
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organization. The mission statement of a California police
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department reads as follows: "The mission of [this department] is
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to work in partnership with the community to protect life and
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property, solve neighborhood problems, and enhance the quality of
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life in our City."
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When developing a mission statement, the process of arriving
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at consensus among leaders can, itself, be a positive experience.
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It requires a debate of the various attitudes and beliefs
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existing among organizational leaders and then, finally,
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agreement on one basic mission. (4) The final statement should
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help employees at all levels make decisions.
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VALUES STATEMENT
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The values statement declares the moral and ethical
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qualities to which the organization is committed. For example,
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values statements often clarify how much significance the
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organization places on honesty, customer satisfaction, ethical
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conduct, innovation, teamwork, community awareness, self-directed
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work, tolerance of dissenting views, and public relations. While
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the mission statement describes where the organization is going,
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the values statement articulates how it will get there. It is a
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detailed guide of behaviors that management accepts and supports
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within the organization.
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A POSITIVE FRAMEWORK
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The organizational vision, mission statement, and values
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statement form a framework to support management decisions by
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attaching reasons to actions. The philosophy, goals, and work
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standards embodied within these documents provide a basis for
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decisionmaking within the organization. They are the lodestars
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by which the organization navigates its course through the
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uncharted waters of both the present and the future.
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Creating this framework for leadership is vital to maintain
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consistency and direction in the management of the organization.
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However, this framework alone is not sufficient to attract and
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motivate employees to achieve the organization's mission.
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Organizations need to incorporate a final leadership principle--
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empowerment.
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Much like the stream discussed earlier, it is the nature of
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an organization to change and progress. Individual members of the
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organization continually develop plans and expectations about
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their roles. Each creates a personal agenda. It is the confluence
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of these personal agendas that creates a dynamic under-current
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within organizations. Leaders must channel this undercurrent in
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order to accomplish the organization's objectives.
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The cumbersome, monolithic organizational structures in
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which many agencies currently labor do not allow leaders
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sufficient latitude to channel individual talents. A more open,
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flexible participative model must be used so that leaders can
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successfully empower subordinates.
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EMPOWERMENT
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Empowerment is enabling others to participate in the process
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of change within the organization. It often involves sharing
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power with subordinates and allowing them sufficient leeway to
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accomplish tasks in their own way.
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Empowerment is the most effective way to gain the active
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participation of others. When employees are truly empowered to
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make meaningful decisions and effect appropriate change within
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the organization, they develop a stake in the system--a
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franchise. Enfranchised and empowered employees have a vested
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interest in the success of the group. They become important
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members of a team with a meaningful purpose.
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Most individuals want to believe they are contributing to a
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common purpose and that they are not consumed with pointless
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exercises. Leaders who promote such an atmosphere secure the
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commitment and trust of employees. (5) True leadership involves
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providing a collaborative atmosphere, where all workers focus on
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the critical work of the organization. (6)
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However, some leaders resist sharing power. They fear that
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subordinates, if not sufficiently controlled, may take over the
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organization. Although there may be some rationality to this
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fear, establishing a positive leadership framework ensures that
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employees are both motivated and unified in achieving the
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organizational mission. By focusing on vision, mission, and
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values, an enlightened leader empowers and energizes
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subordinates toward the attainment of organizational objectives.
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CONCLUSION
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The issue of leadership in law enforcement is neither broad
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nor obscure. It involves the concrete process of articulating the
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vision, mission, and values of the organization within the
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context of a long-range strategic plan and giving impetus to that
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plan by empowering subordinates. Without this base, police
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managers serve only as custodians of a bureaucracy that
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preoccupies itself with the present at the expense of the future.
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ENDNOTES
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(1) Ted Gaebler and David Osborne, Reinventing Government
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(Reading, Massachusetts: Addison-Wesley Publishing Company,
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1992), 35.
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(2) Ibid.
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(3) Ibid.
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(4) Ibid.
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(5) Burt Nanus, The Leader's Edge: Seven Keys to Leadership
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in a Turbulent World (Chicago, Illinois: Contemporary Books,
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Inc., 1989).
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(6) Ibid.
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