Managing Criminal Justice Organizations

Managing Criminal Justice Organizations

Position Power: this is the power that emerges from the rank or the position one has within an organization. A supervisor of a group of custodians that also provide security at a university has a position from which he or she can decide what tasks to give the custodians (what buildings to clean and monitor for unusual behaviors). This kind of power is based on simple authority -- if you work for a supervisor his position gives him the license to direct your behavior while on the job. And for the supervisor, the position gives that person the latitude to make decisions as to how others should behave or to what tasks they are assigned.

Coercion Power: this leads into the negative use of power, as the word "coercion" carries with in a connotation of abusiveness. In this form of power a person uses his or her ability to influence others through "…threats, punishments or sanction" (Merchant, 2014). A married lieutenant on a police force is having an affair with a secretary in the office, which is against the regulations. He tells his underlings if they tell anyone about this stealthy affair, he will give them the dirtiest assignments that are available. Protect my wrongdoing, or else, is the use of coercion in this instance.

Reward Power: This kind of power comes to light when a person in a leadership position offers incentives (longer vacations; bonuses; a day off; or promotions) to his staff as rewards for excellent work. It can be used as a "motivation" tool, and it is commonly used in companies that seek to motivate employees to produce better results. But it can also be used as "…through favoritism" and can "greatly demoralize employees and diminish their output" (Merchant, 2014).

Expert Power: The person who possesses knowledge or expertise in a given area is said to have expert power. A person with expert power might be the only one in an office who knows IT (information technology) to be able to solve technical problems, and hence, he or she assumes power in a positive way. A person in a police unit has had previous special tactical training in Navy SEALS work, and is called upon to help train SWAT teams, has expert power in that area.

Charisma Power: Charisma is not something a person necessarily has as a natural ability; it is "half-acquired" and "half inborn," but it reflects a quality that charms people and allows the charismatic individual to "connect with others in a visceral, direct way" (Varghese, 2010). Charismatic leaders send "all the right signals" and are "enthusiastic and passionate" and they have a knack of making others feel good in their presence (Varghese).

If I were the head of a criminal justice group, would I encourage close personal relationships or try to prevent supervisors from close friendships with subordinates?

In law enforcement work, there is often an extraordinary amount of pressure placed on police officers on the street or in squad cars, on detectives, on commanders and on others in the department. The danger that a police officer faces every day are enormous, and hence good communication between officers (including their supervisors) is important in order to be able to talk about the horrific scene that happened hours ago.

Getting one's feelings out to his peers and to supervisors in a relaxed environment would seem to be a healthy activity. I see nothing wrong with a rookie cop sitting down with several other officers (including supervisors) in a local pub for a beer or two. Not just to "let off steam," but to have an exchange with others who have also faced frighteningly dangerous, violent situations. And if as a result of that conversation over a couple beers, an officer becomes friends with a sergeant who is several notches above him, there is nothing inherently wrong with that.