Control in an Organization - Case Study Example

?Control in an Organization Control in an Organization I. Introduction Managing a police force is one of the most complex and dynamic tasks that most police leaders would encounter. Leaders of police forces usually come from the ranks or in some instances when an outsider comes into the picture and takes over the role of leader. There are several ways in which police forces are managed. But the most common is founded on the notion of “obey first then complain” (Whiseman and Ferguson, 2009, 289) method. Most police leaders consider this scheme as effective because discipline is relevant to the success of the force. Police leaders would want to establish authority right off the bat and formulating policies based on the abovementioned idea. Leaders believe that their long years of training have warranted such form of leadership. Moreover, authoritarians have the capacity to keep the chain of command honest and micro-manage to some extent. But there are other ways of managing police organizations that have emerged. These styles are considered as more holistic and empowering. Most important, the proposed alternatives attempts to account all stakeholders involved and evolve the role of police leaders in improving the organization. II. What might be successful? Whisemand and Ferguson (2009) proposed a management style called Agile Organization that expands the perception on police forces. The proponent has taken into account years on experience as a police officer before drawing such strategy. Whisemand and Ferguson maintain that police organizations need to define their values. These are the aspects that give justification to their existence and foundations for all police actions. The next part involves the creation of a vision. The vision serves as the operational backbone and leads the force to their plotted goals. Whisemand and Ferguson contend that the vision has to prepare policemen to changes as well as improve the flexibility of the organization. The size of the police force is important in the success of the entity. Whisemand and Ferguson suggest that “The Rule of 150” (2009, 288) is the best start. Increasing the number of policemen beyond 150 poses several problems especially in the management aspect. Bureaucracy becomes an issue when there are several chains and subsections. Lean organizations ensure better lateral movement and improvement communication within the organization. Speed often makes or breaks organizations. The pace in which leaders react to important events related to the police for will determine future success. Decision making is critical and such needs to be carried out seamlessly. For most crime victims, justice starts when the police force does their homework and resolves the cases. Moreover, information dissemination has to speed up to improve overall police work. Alternative approaches to managing police organizations require limitless possibilities. This means ending of boundaries within organizations such as making the operation more efficient and leaving by-the-book styles behind. More important, an entity of meritocracy has to be implemented where promotions are not based on connections or in most cases seniority. Most police entities have fixed goals and plans. Whisemand and Ferguson proposes a brand of management that stretches these goals. The aim of this scheme is to eliminate rigid views and open an avenue of ideas and useful insight. Despite the complex issues facing police organizations, operations need to be done with simplicity. The method of communication has to be concise and delivered with a sense of clarity. In addition, facts and statistics have to be presented in a manner understandable to all stakeholders. At the end of an operating year, there has to be an evaluation done by the management. This involves an appraisal of decisions made and plans put to action. This ensures that past mistakes are prevented and contingency measures are drafted in the future. Also, continuous improvement has to be a theme well embedded among policemen in the force. Performance has to be defined and quality and cost objectives need to be set. Finally, leadership has to be drawn not just in the perspective of the higher ups. There has to be a way in which rank and file police officers are given the chance to show their leadership skills and potentials. Such practice allows better transition when leadership changes are warranted. III. What is the most reliable alternative? Whisemand and Ferguson (2009) introduce management by objectives (MBO) which promotes flexibility and empowers all involved in a police organization. MBO is designed to cut bureaucracy and decentralize decision making. The success of the plan is dependent of the way management delivers the objectives and the response obtained from all parties concerned. Most important, there has to be consultations done to ensure that all possible ideas are drawn. The most crucial part is to transform the police force into a professional organization. The process starts with pre-planning which primarily involves pooling of resources and identifying the steps needed to achieve the organization’s goal. Pre-planning also allows the management to make am assessment of past plans and determine areas for improvement. The next part is creating a mission statement for the organization. The statement has to include the needs of the community where the organization is based and underline the manner in which the police would respond. The third step outlines the goals of each department in the force. After the departments have been established their objectives, each division also need to plan for their goals. Divisions need to set priorities, roles and operational objectives. To ensure that the objectives are achieved, an action plan needs to be drafted. Project managers need not to be an official. This is an opportunity to keep the other policemen involved as well as other stakeholders including the public. Programs and projects have to be specific and in-line with the general goals of the police force. The implementation of the projects has to be done hassle free. There has to be precise recording of milestones and documentation of results needs to be done with accuracy. In between or after each project, an assessment has to be conducted. Success or failure should be based on the criteria set by management. There is a possibility that errors will be committed along the way. The process prevents these errors from totally affecting the projects adversely. After the evaluation is done, there has to be feedback coming from the management, the members of the team as well as the beneficiaries of the project. The insights provided in this process are critical in the future programs. The final step involves the final assessment which weighs all factors that will affect the success of the police organization. IV. Conclusion The alternative provided by Whisemand and Ferguson aim to transform a police force into a flexible and results-oriented organization. Like most successful private enterprises, police organizations have to be operated based on specific plans and open leadership. The transfer of information needs to be fast and decision making has to be made even in lower levels. The expansion of roles also empowers police officers and gives a sense of purpose to the organizations. Reference Whisemand, P.M and Ferguson, R.F. (2009), Managing Police Organizations, 7th edition, “Organizations”, Prentice Hall Read More