CJ Management

Criminal justice administrators have many opportunities to attend leadership development programs. More often than not, they are programs that have been in existence for many years. Many criminal justice professional organizations, such as the American Correctional Association or the International Association of Chiefs of Police, offer leadership development programs and workshops, yet for the criminal justice administrator, it is difficult to determine how such programs would be transferred into their organizations. It is one thing to talk about the elements of effective leadership, but how do you actually make effective leadership a part of your agency?

Take, for example, the issue of organizational culture. It is common to hear the phrase “the culture of the police agency” needs to be changed. For the police administrator, this is a simplistic statement on its face. As a police administrator, you may or may not know the drivers of the police culture of your agency. In fact, it might seem odd that you would not know your police culture. This may be reflective of poor leadership. The chances are that police administrators do have a good understanding of the police culture in their own agency because many rise from the agency's rank and file into their current positions. Yet, it is another matter to say how would you influence this culture.

1. Define organizational culture.

2. Is organizational culture dynamic or static?

3. What immediate barriers exist in the agency to inhibit the change of organizational culture?

4. To what extent would a change in organizational “vision” change organizational culture?

5. How does the existing labor agreement affect any attempt to change organizational culture?

6. What costs are inherent to attempts to change organizational culture?

7. What impact does a rigid chain of command have on organizational culture?