Emotional intelligence and leadership development in law enforcement

Emotional Intelligence in Law Enforcement

Emotional Intelligence for Officer in a Law Enforcement Environment

Law enforcement officers constitute exceptional and diverse personnel that experience a broad range of emotions. They therefore encounter numerous and strange challenges. Because of the nature, perception and significance of the services these officers offer to the public, their occupation is always under scrutiny and expected to portray high level of public standards. In addition, due to the demands and high expectations from the public, it is imperative to know whether emotional intelligence is vital in identifying the competence of law enforcement officers. The very important element in law enforcement field is the expertise of emotional intelligence competence.

This report illustrates that for an officer to manage the moods and emotions that emanates from the nature of their profession, self-awareness and leadership styles are significant because they tend to increase the perceptions and enhance future efficiency and success. Furthermore, other research used to compile this report indicates that sharing of emotions improves team building, in that, officers that are capable of modeling suitable emotions in the course of ambiguities are likely to heighten group solidarity, which is an exceedingly indispensable aspect for the law enforcement organizations, which often encounters ambiguity.

In addition, law enforcement is vibrant and proficient, and deviating from the cultural standards is unappreciated. This is an exceptional context within the law enforcement field and might be drawback in other organizations, but the procedure of considering emotional intelligence competence from excellent officers ensures effective succession planning. This report is very clear that even though expertise is significant for the success of the organization, there is a need to go a step further and identify, select, appraise and develop personnel based on emotional intelligence competence and other primary leadership styles. For this reason, the organization must take necessary steps of training and retraining the existing officers on the needs of possessing emotional intelligence competencies and d other valuable leadership styles that goes beyond the public perceptions.

In essence, the law enforcement organizations should establish systematic and focused strategies that assists identify the impacts of emotional intelligence on officer's performance. As the report indicates, a potential avenue that necessitates future research that would focus on comparing officer's insight of their emotional intelligence, and the insights others have on them. This establishes a multirater quantifier of emotional intelligence. In a similar vein, this report examines the significance of training the officers and cites the effective ways and strategies employed by the organization in order to ascertain limited compromise on public security. Furthermore, the report illustrates the significance of possessing individual knowledge and understanding pertaining to emotional intelligence and it influences on leadership development.

In essence, for the law enforcement organization to serve and safeguard the various interests of the public, there is a need for its officers to learn and manage their feelings and emotions and use that knowledge in their thinking and executing actions. In the contemporary Law enforcement Organizations, high rank officer must efficiently stimulate, develop and ensure effective communication with their subordinate officers through proper management of their relationships and emotional associations in order to equate the demands of the organization and the public. When law enforcement officers portray significant emotional intelligence and effective leadership competencies, they provide best services to the public.

Historically, law enforcement agencies emphasized on using totalitarian leadership styles in dealing with various challenge affecting the society. For this reason, the qualification of best public servants revolved around traits such as, dominance, personal accomplishment and masculinity. However, in the contemporary world, based on the diverse challenges, there is complete transformation in police organization, in that, there is establishment of community-based policing and a transformed police culture that focused on operational effectiveness to one that emphasizes on team work and effective processes that calls for new leadership patterns and law enforcement organizations (Engels, 2001).

This report emphasizes on two modern significant leadership models that seems to counteract the various challenges that springs out from the Police organizations. They are Emotional Intelligence (EQ) and Transformational Leadership (TL) or rather primary leadership styles.

Emotional Intelligence (EQ) comprises of both the emotional and social competencies that a high rank officer and subordinate officer must possess in executing their daily duties, whether internally or externally. Internal activities relates to the relationship that officers have with each other despite of their ranks, while as external activities pertains to the officers interaction with the public. In other words, emotional intelligence comprises the ability to examine one's feelings and emotions in order to execute decisions and actions that determines the going concern of the organization.

On the hand, primary leadership styles, or rather Transformational Leadership pertains to the capability of an officer, and in this context, law enforcement officer to mobilize other officers to portray higher level of individual and professionalism in the different places of work. In this regard, Emotional Intelligence influences leadership development among the junior officers, because it emphasizes on improving leadership efficacy. Primary leadership styles should necessitate the efficiency of law enforcement organizations attempts to change the administrative operations to modern forms that emphasizes on community servicing and other flexible supervisory strategies. As cited by xxxxxxxx nurturing human relations knowledge, motivating personal initiatives for solving challenges, and reiterating to the public demands using ethical ideologies portrays a transforming roles of law enforcement officers and this presents new leadership styles of law enforcers. This report purposes to emphasize the significance of emotional intelligence and key leadership styles in Law enforcement organizations. As a competency, emotional intelligence is a wide area comprised of various facets as discussed in the following section.

The different facets pertaining to Emotional Intelligence

Daniel (2004) cites that emotional intelligence is very critical towards the success of an organization that leadership styles. However, Daniel says that these two aspects must correlate for the officers to offer efficient services. In a similar vein, XXXxxxx asserts that the moods and emotions of law enforcement officers while in the due course of executing their duties may influence their decision and actions. In broader terms, a law enforcement officer should observe caution while executing their duties either within the organization or outside the organization. The role they play is very sensitive and any compromises whatsoever may be grievous to both the officers and the general public. This report postulates serious challenges that emotional intelligence might have in the work environment, interpersonal associations, and the efficacy of decision-making process. Xxxxxx provides a theoretical model that systematically connects emotional intelligence to productiveness of organizational change, at macro and micro organizational levels. Furthermore, Lennox & Wolfe, (1984) suggests that emotional intelligence affects leadership efficiency by focusing on six indispensable leadership styles that include;

Leadership quality that accentuates on creation of collective objectives

A leader that instills in officers that positive reception of the significance of work activities,

A leadership style that upholds work enthusiasm, confidence, hopefulness, collaboration, and trust,

A leadership that encourages flexibility in decision-making process and change

A style that establishes and maintains a significant uniqueness for the organization

As well, Lennox & Wolfe, (1984) provides practical evidence that emotional intelligence has close link with interpersonal relations and collaboration. In a similar vein, Lennox & Wolfe, (1984) links emotional intelligence with the capacity to improve team performance and gives a constructive response. This report identifies four facets of emotional intelligence that tremendous contributes toward quality decision-making and effective leadership styles. They include>

1) Self-awareness

2) Compassion,

3) Managing relationship

The different facets pertaining to transformational leadership in police organizations

Transformational leadership in the context of law enforcement environment is the aptitude of a high ranking to appraise the juniors to higher levels of individual and proficient development. Transformational leaders inspire subordinates to disburse unusual levels of endeavors and to perform beyond their job expectation by portraying the following behaviors: (Bass & Avolio, 1994).

Idealized influence- it is the act of portraying high levels of conduct, willpower and far-sightedness.

Intellectual stimulation is the capability to advocate for invention and creativity among officers by giving them an opportunity challenge old postulations and solve old problems from new techniques of references.

Individualized consideration is the capacity to build up officers through mentoring. However, the officer in charge must understand the various needs of his followers.

Research by Janice and Sigal (2001) indicates that transformational leadership results to positive work conclusions. This comprises of increased job satisfaction (Hater and Bass, 1988), employee dedication (Barling et al., 1996) work unit performance (Geyer and Steyrer, 1998, Howell and Avolio, 1993), and confidence (Pillai et al., 1999).

Effective Leadership styles or rather transformational leadership in Law enforcement organization is leadership that necessitates organization's efforts in stirring up methodical revitalization and change (Eisenbach et al., 1999). In essence, this aspect necessitates enforcement of modern laws of implementing fresh administrative structures tailored to the fundamental changes occurring within the societal, political, and technological environments. Leaders that have high levels of emotional intelligence are likely to portray high levels of transformational leadership (Barling et al., 2000). For instance, high-ranking officers have the capacity to control their own emotions and standardize their behavior and exhibit positive role models for law enforcement officers.

In addition, the empathy and relations factors of emotional intelligence have a close connection to inspirational motivation and idealize selflessness, correspondingly.

As confirmed by Barling et al., (2000), emotional intelligence has three aspects of correlations; transformational leadership; idealized influence, inspirational motivation, and personalized consideration.