Management has the responsibility to monitor its supervisors to make sure they are competent and ensure that the officers are not subjected to exploitative leadership by first-line supervisors. A person becoming a supervisor must shift from a focus on operational skills to a greater consideration of human and conceptual skills.
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Operational Skills involve techniques, methods and use of equipment.
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Human Skills development of the ability to understand why people behave the way they do in order to effectively change direct and control behavior. These skills involve motivation, communication and direction.
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Conceptual Skills development of one’s knowledge of the overall organization and awareness of how the unit fits into the organization will allow the supervisor to work toward the attainment of the organizational goals and increased efficiencies.
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Effective Leadership leads to the accomplishment of clearly defined tasks.
4 Roles are critical to effective leadership
1. Directional setter
2. Change agent
3. Spokesperson
4. Coach
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Leadership is the process of influencing group activities toward the achievement of goals. The first-line supervisor is no longer a doer, but a coordinator of other people’s activities. Supervisors operate from a position of power based on the authority delegated to the supervisor. Supervisory power sources can be positional or personal.
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Power
According to More, first-line supervisors can extend power by using the following techniques
1. Persuasion: A technique that has the supervisor communicate the reason and justification when exerting influence over others.
2. Patience: A technique that has the supervisor showing consideration to the short-comings and weakness of each employee and balancing these against an immediate desire to attain objectives.
3. Enlightenment: Development of the ability to accept and value the insights, discernment and seasoning of subordinates.
4. Openness: The ability to accept officers for who they are now and for what they can become as growth occurs. Requires accurate awareness of goals, values, desires and intentions.
5. Consistency: Doing what is expected of you, so that your subordinates will always know where you are coming from and never have to feel as though they are being manipulated.
6. Integrity: Striving for control that can only be interpreted as fair, impartial and nonmanipulative .
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Supervisors exhibit honesty and real concern
Positional and personal power can be further divided into 5 categories
1. Legitimate power: Power that comes form policy and written directives outlining a supervisor’s authority and responsibilities
2. Expert power: Power that comes from the subordinate’s knowledge that the supervisor possesses a greater amount of knowledge
3. Referent power: Power that is associated with the leader’s personality. Sometimes identified as charisma, it is a quality that makes the supervisor likable.
4. Coercive power: Power that is based on fear and the knowledge that the supervisor has the ability to administer some type of punishment.
5. Reward Power: Power that comes from being able to reward employees in some way. Power should be viewed with positive attitudes and not abused. Each type of power has its limitations.
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Theories of Leadership
1. Trait Theory: Identifies the distinguishing qualities or characteristics a person possesses when functioning as an effective leader. One researcher has identified five groups of traits associated with leadership effectiveness capacity, achievement, responsibility, participation and status.
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Behavioral Theory: Based on the Ohio State leadership studies that showed there are two types of leadership behavior
- Initiating Structure: The leader’s behavior in delineating the relationship between them and their subordinates and attempting to establish well-defined patterns of organization, channels of communication and methods of procedures
- Consideration: The leader’s behavior indicative of friendship, mutual trust, respect and warmth in the relationship between the leader and all members.
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Contingency Model: Holds that the leader’s style must match the demands of the specific situation. Fred Fiedler and associates developed the first contingency model, identifying 3 factors of importance
- Position Power: The degree to which the position itself confers upon the leader–the capacity to get officers to accept and comply with directions.
- Task Structure: The extent to which a task is routine and structured as compared to an ambiguous and poorly defined task. When tasks are defined carefully, it is much easier for a supervisor to control operational duties and officers can be held responsible.
- Personal Relationships: When the relationship between subordinates and a leader can be described as good, the supervisor is in a good position to influence behavior due to trust.
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Fiedler identified two basic styles of leadership
- Task-oriented
- Relationship-oriented
A leader’s power can run from high position power (mutual trust and respect with highly structured tasks) to weak position power (little respect or support with vague tasks).
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Leadership Continuum
The relationship between a supervisor and subordinates exists along a continuum. Some researchers limit leadership style to 2 types (autocratic and democratic), whereas others identify more (eg authoritarian, democratic, laissez-faire, bureaucratic and charismatic). Regardless of the number of styles, no supervisor sticks to one style. Usually, the supervisor adapts their style to meet the needs of individual situations.
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More and Miller describe 3 types of leadership behavior when the supervisor wants to influence the behavior of line officers:
- Directive is when a supervisor exhibits little concern for and allows little or no involvement in the decision-making process. A directive leader uses the authority of the position to attain subordinate obedience . This supervisor uses rules and regulations to ensure compliance.
- Consultative is a leadership style of compromise when a supervisor shows concern for officers and their needs and also organizational needs. Subordinates are allowed to participate in the decision-making process when it results in a better decision.
- Participative is when the supervisor has genuine belief and respect for subordinates. They foster two-way communication, consulting with subordinates and involving them in the decision-making process. Group involvement is sought and power is shared.
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Leadership Mistakes
Supervisors work for both mgmt and subordinates. They are responsible not only to tell the officers what to do, but to also coach them when circumstances require it and to consult with them and join with them to attain objectives. Delegation is essential. The misuse of power by a first-line supervisor may prove useful initially, but over a long period can lead to the downfall of a first-line supervisor. It is important to accept individual difference and work with employees to make them the best they can be. Supervisors must be fair.
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- According to the nationwide survey cited in the text,
A. the chart of the typical police organization is constricted in the middle, where the number of Sgts is outweighed by both line officers below them and the rank of Lt, Capt and Major above them
B. a typical police organization can be diagrammed by an inverted pyramid
C. in a typical police organization, first-line supervisors outnumber managers in all other administrative positions
D. none of the above
C in a typical police organization, first-line supervisors outnumber manager in all other administrative positions
2. Sgts need to divide their time between doing and managing, which can be A. the rule of coordination B. the rule of balance C. the 50% rule D. none of the above
C. The 50% rule
3. Supervisory skills include A. operational, human and conceptual B. position and power C. direction, delegation and discussion D. tasks and relationships
A. operational, human and conceptual
4. Positional power sources include A. expert, reward, coercive B. legitimate, coercive, reward C. referent, expert D. coercive, referent, expert
B. Legitimate, coercive, reward
5. Personal power sources include A. expert, reward, coercive B. legitimate, coercive, reward C. referent, expert D. coercive, referent, expert
C. Expert, referent
- The theories of leadership can be grouped into which 3 categories
A. Trait theories, behavioral theories, contingency theories
B. Trait theories, individual theories, group theories
C. individual theories, behavioral theories, group theories
D. individual theories, behavioral theories, contingency theories
A. Trait theories, behavioral theories, contingency theories
7. Ralph Stodgill's identified a group of traits associated with leadership effectiveness includes A. capacity, achievement and power B. capacity, responsibility and power C. power, status and achievement D. status responsibility and capacity
D. Status, responsibility and capacity
- The behavioral model identifies 2 basic types of leadership behavior, which are
A. initiating structure and resolution
B. resolution and consideration
C. consideration and initiating structure
D. none of the above
C. consideration and initiating structure
- A supervisor who feels comfortable emphasizing consideration is likely to use
A. one-way communication and emphasize high standards
B. one-way communication and show that there is mutual trust
C. two-way communication and show respect for officers’ ideas
D. two-way communication and carefully plan activities
C. two-way communication and show respect for officers’ ideas
