This is a mock situation by Major Lewis Warren whose team has been assigned to secure the Democratic Republican National Convention. For decades, there have been news about violence and poor crowd control. This paper comes up with actions which leaders can take in encouraging their frontline officers to form and express their new ideas or change for the welfare of the organization. The paper also lists 10 steps that military leaders can use in overcoming barriers to novelties.
DNRC
INNOVATIONS, BARRIERS
DRNC Leadership Practicum
Actions to Encourage Innovative Ideas
Major events are always a special concern to law enforcement and a test of its crowd control capabilities (Connors, 2007). Security management covers the entire duration of the events -- before, during and after. Even after the event, security management continues with the clearing up the place, administrative tasks, and debriefing and after-action report. The after-action report critiques all the operations conducted, such as deviations from the event plan and recommendations. Recommendations, in turn, tackle what should be kept and changes that should be made. These recommendations and changes may be innovative ideas from frontline officers on how to upgrade crowd control tactics. Frontline officers are valuable to the organization. They are more numerous than middle managers or frontline supervisors. They are also more knowledgeable about the situation and, at the same time, are the ones in daily contact with all stakeholders. For their valuable role in developing crowd control tactics, they should be strongly encouraged to express their ideas and perceptions (Connors).
This can be done by making them know that their leaders are on their side and by making them see and understand the entire situation or picture of the organization (Connors, 2007). A number of actions can encourage them to be innovative and come up with valuable ideas. Leadership should immediately respond to their requests for improved working conditions. It should be supportive of their seeming mistakes or they will remember not to come up with any in the future. It should establish an explicit policy, which will entice them to be innovative. Leadership should broaden job categories rather than confine them to narrow tasks. Let them learn more jobs or tasks. Leadership should reward them as teams, not as individuals. Downplay their hierarchy. Break the group down into functional units. Disseminate all the job information to everyone. And inform all of them about innovations that have succeeded (Connors).
Overcoming Barriers to New Ideas
There are many issues to introducing change in law enforcement, but they weave around the key areas, namely, identifying the change, communicating it, and resisting it (Lewis & Rogers, 2014). The two types of change are first-order and second-order changes. First-order changes address strategies supporting current status and are non-transformational. Second-order changes, on the other hand, address the culture of the organizational and are transformation. Communicating the change should be suited to the specific groups within the department and the key stakeholders. If communication is not done this way, the change process will fail. And resistance to change often comes from leaders themselves who are supposed to introduce and incorporate the change or new idea into the department. At the same time, they can slow the incorporation of the innovation down rather than hasten its implementation. Another barrier is the failure of officials or leaders to develop the necessary managerial mechanics, such as techniques for influencing, inspiring or infusing the desired outcomes into officers. Still another barrier consists of other law enforcement officials, especially those who have served at longest term. They tend to perpetuate old values and ways of doing things. Still another barrier to new ideas is the lack of commitment by officials to an innovation even if they order its implementation (Lewis & Rogers).
Considering that most law enforcement departments are occupied by autocratic paramilitary personnel, the leadership should first assess how the prevailing culture will or can accept the new idea or simply tolerate it (Lewis & Rogers, 2014). The result or feedback will serve as critical input on the precise area of resistance (Lewis & Rogers).
Overcoming barriers requires that leaders connect with officers and share an understanding of the benefits of the new idea or change (Lewis & Rogers, 2014). Reaching all stakeholders and effectively communicating the new idea or change is now possible and easy with the many communication means and mechanisms. These include email, team meetings, one-on-one meetings, and town hall meetings. Law enforcement professionals and leaders should act on the new idea or change deliberately, on purpose and with confidence to lift the barriers that obstruct it (Lewis & Rogers).
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