Performance, Morale, Job Satisfaction, and Resilience in Law Enforcement Leadership

Abstract

Law enforcement leaders struggle to manage personnel performance, morale, and job satisfaction. The literature examined indicated that law enforcement has long practiced autocratic leadership due to the connection of paramilitary structure. Exploring other leadership styles and theories to utilize for leaders could pose great benefits to how employees view the organization. A modified Delphi approach was utilized to collect data from current leaders in law enforcement through three rounds of surveys to gain consensus regarding leadership styles in policing. This chapter, as per the author, identifies five themes that explore how strategies and practices of police leadership may change if viewed differently. The themes were identified as performance is influenced by leaders' strategies and practices, which impact morale, job satisfaction, education, and training, as well as leadership strategies and practices that influence every officer differently.