Police Change Management: Psychological Factors
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Abstract
Police of Lithuania face structure, resources, goals, values and priorities changes. Change management is needed and human side of change becomes critical for effective Lithuania police functioning. Change in organization can be implemented only through changes in individuals, organization members.
This article examines police organizational change, focusing on the individual and organizational culture factors. It is argued, that organizational change often means loss and threat for its members. Typical emotional anger, anxiety, frustration and depression reactions, defense mechanisms and behavioral resistance to change may arise. Negative experiences and resistance to change can be reduced by clarity of change plans, their congruence with attitudes of organizational members, sufficient internal communication, involvement of organization members to change planning process, their social and emotional competence, possibility to express change related feelings and appropriate trainings. Further research testing reactions to change in Lithuania police is needed.
Police organizational culture plays important role in change implementation process. Specific environment forms occupational police culture which becomes common for all police organizations and lay the foundations for police organizational culture. A conceptual model of the police organizational culture explains its causes, prescriptions, outcomes and their relationship with change implementation is presented. The values of the police culture derive from the hazards of police work and seek to minimize these hazards and protect members. Such coping mechanisms as suspiciousness, maintaining the edge, lay-low and crime fighter image prescribed by the police culture work to minimize the stress and anxiety created by the environments, guiding both attitudes and behaviors. These coping mechanisms together with high levels of social isolation and loyalty may affect difficulties in police change implementation process. Research investigating effects of police culture in change process is needful to test hypothesis.
This article examines police organizational change, focusing on the individual and organizational culture factors. It is argued, that organizational change often means loss and threat for its members. Typical emotional anger, anxiety, frustration and depression reactions, defense mechanisms and behavioral resistance to change may arise. Negative experiences and resistance to change can be reduced by clarity of change plans, their congruence with attitudes of organizational members, sufficient internal communication, involvement of organization members to change planning process, their social and emotional competence, possibility to express change related feelings and appropriate trainings. Further research testing reactions to change in Lithuania police is needed.
Police organizational culture plays important role in change implementation process. Specific environment forms occupational police culture which becomes common for all police organizations and lay the foundations for police organizational culture. A conceptual model of the police organizational culture explains its causes, prescriptions, outcomes and their relationship with change implementation is presented. The values of the police culture derive from the hazards of police work and seek to minimize these hazards and protect members. Such coping mechanisms as suspiciousness, maintaining the edge, lay-low and crime fighter image prescribed by the police culture work to minimize the stress and anxiety created by the environments, guiding both attitudes and behaviors. These coping mechanisms together with high levels of social isolation and loyalty may affect difficulties in police change implementation process. Research investigating effects of police culture in change process is needful to test hypothesis.
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Section
Articles
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Authors retain copyright of their work, with first publication rights granted to the Association for Learning Technology.
Please see Copyright and Licence Agreement for further details.
