CHAPTER 11: THE POLICE LEADER AS A MANAGER Flashcards
(41 cards)
THE POLICE LEADER AS A MANAGER :
He directs. He controls. He coordinates. All of these phrases have been used to describe the role of the manager in a police agency.
All are functions that the first-line supervisor participates in as a part of management.
The first-line supervisor is an integral part of the police organization.
THE POLICE LEADER AS A MANAGER:
One obvious difference lies in the level of the organization at which the leader engages in tasks of direction, ______, and coordination.
control
THE POLICE LEADER AS A MANAGER:
The primary supervisor or sergeant must concern himself with the daily, practical problems of the working police unit. He must answer his employees’ requests for ________ or _______; he handles press-ing personnel problems; he sees to it that the objectives of the agency are translated into concrete action at the actual service delivery level.
advice or information
THE POLICE LEADER AS A MANAGER:
The mid-level manager concerns himself with some of these practical matters, but with other things, as well. The mid-manager considers the coordination of a number of smaller units in the overall _______ of the organization, and he sees to it that one group of people is not working at cross purposes to some other departmental entity. He attempts to view his own role as being a part of the bigger picture involving the entire police organization.
scheme
THE MANAGEMENT ROLE
It is possible to get more specific about the contemporary manager’s job than just to say that he directs, controls, and coordinates.
When the first-line supervisor is fulfilling his obligations as a manag-er, he is engaging in some of these “more specific” activities.
1) Interagency Liaison
2) Personnel Matters
3) Role Model
4) Information Transmitter and Relay
5) Interpretation and Clarification
6) Quality Control
7) General Supervision
8)
9) Special Assignment
10) Community Relations
8) Information source
THE MANAGEMENT ROLE
Interagency Liaison:
Whatever the situation, the supervisor is a ________ of his agency and must conduct himself accordingly
representation
THE MANAGEMENT ROLE:
Personnel Matters:
The first-line supervisor should be involved in decisions _______
his unit’s personnel.
affecting
THE MANAGEMENT ROLE:
Role Model
A little fairness, good temperament, sound judgment, and a liberal application of plain old common sense can achieve remarkable results as __________ and mood setters.
moral builders
THE MANAGEMENT ROLE:
Information Transmitter and Relay
This means that not only does he relay the pronouncements of the “_______” to the people who will get the job done, but that he also makes the chain of command function more smoothly by passing along the concerns of subordinates to the high-er-ups who need to hear them.
“Big Boss”
THE MANAGEMENT ROLE:
Information Transmitter and Relay
It is fine for him to provide his own opinions when asked, but he must refrain from _______ when it is not appropriate.
editorializing
THE MANAGEMENT ROLE:
Interpretation and Clarification:
The manager probably would find it relatively painless to go to his subordinates for a clarification of their thoughts or concerns.
It may be more difficult for him to ask the boss for additional details of an otherwise ______ message. Nonetheless, the clarification must be obtained.
obscure
THE MANAGEMENT ROLE:
Quality Control:
For example, the review of officers’ probable cause for arrests may be a _______ of the supervisor/manager. This job, too, is a sort of quality check.
key function
THE MANAGEMENT ROLE:
General Supervision:
The police leader is not permitted the questionable luxury of _______ himself within the role of a desk-bound manager. Only in large police organizations can the practice of totally removing a supervisor from the more traditional duties of policing take place.
isolating
THE MANAGEMENT ROLE:
Information Source:
The skilled and experienced police manager is a _______ person for those beside him, above him, and below him in the chain of command.
resource
THE MANAGEMENT ROLE:
Special Assignments
The expanded experience the supervisor gains from exercising his
_______ skills will make him a better candidate for promotion, if that is his eventual goal. Perhaps even more important, the expanded versatility will make him feel better about himself.
managerial
THE MANAGEMENT ROLE:
Community Relations:
The supervisor should view himself as an ambassador of his
agency. He is a visible representative of its _____, objectives, and practices as these things relate to the public at large.
goals
THE MANAGEMENT ROLE:
HANDLING SPECIALIZED TASKS:
When this written work is done completely and adequately, the person to whom it is submitted should have little more to do than read it and approve or disapprove the final product. The _________ attacking a special project should first ob-tain several key pieces of information from the person assigning the task.
supervisor/manager
THE MANAGEMENT ROLE:
HANDLING SPECIALIZED TASKS:
Will he be researching employee attitudes on the issue?
Will he be checking into needed changes in the agency’s insurance coverage?
Will he be involved in surveying the need for a policy change?
Will he be expected to make recommendations for formal policy changes or just present the facts for decisions by others?
Any time limits within which he must work must be identified.
Will interim progress reports be required?
The questions that may be asked.
THE MANAGEMENT ROLE:
HANDLING SPECIALIZED TASKS:
Many of these special assignments will _______ in a written re-port or memorandum, as opposed to an oral briefing. A written pre-sentation makes it much easier if the final work product is to be reviewed by several individuals at different times and places.
culminate
THE MANAGEMENT ROLE:
HANDLING SPECIALIZED TASKS:
For the sake of consistency, the supervisor preparing a written ver-sion of his work should follow a standard format. The problem-oriented project might be laid out in six sections:
(1) statement of the problem;
(2) background information;
(3) recommended action or proposed solution;
(4)
(5) action or approval section; and
(6) attachments or appendices.
alternatives
THE MANAGEMENT ROLE:
HANDLING SPECIALIZED TASKS:
Background information:
Past events or situations that may have ______ on the current situation should be noted. The reader should be brought up to date as far as the known facts will allow.
bearing
THE MANAGEMENT ROLE:
HANDLING SPECIALIZED TASKS:
Background information:
This background section can make use of the “who, what, when, where, why, and how” formula of writing. All of these topics need to be covered in providing a _________ to those who must deal with the problem or assignment.
solid background
THE MANAGEMENT ROLE:
HANDLING SPECIALIZED TASKS:
“Alternatives”
may not be a category that all managers will want to use. Those who do elect to ______ it often list other possible solutions or responses to the problem or situation.
utilize
THE MANAGEMENT ROLE:
HANDLING SPECIALIZED TASKS:
“Attachments or appendices”
By the time his work is completed on the assignment, the supervisor functioning in his manager’s role should have covered three _________ of concern.
First, he has conducted a study of the situation or problem.
Second, he has presented a solution or recommended a change and has backed up the proposal with facts.
Third, he has submitted the work for review by his boss.
vital areas
