Performance management in police agencies: a conceptual framework

• Published in: Policing : an international journal of police strategies & management Vol. 33; no. 1; pp. 6 - 29
• Main Author: Shane, Jon M.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Bradford Emerald Group Publishing Limited 01.01.2010
• Subjects: Attitudes; Compliance; Government agencies; Learning; Management by crisis; Management styles; Performance indicators; Performance management; Performance measures; Police; Police administration; Policy making; Performance management; Police; Performance measures
• ISSN: 1363-951X; 1758-695X
• DOI: 10.1108/13639511011020575

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to define a systematic management structure that helps police practitioners institutionalize performance management and analysis in more rational-technical ways.Design methodology approach - The design is based on Gold's "complete participant" field researcher method.Findings - The findings suggest a performance management model is more rational than the traditional command-control model and may increase consistency in police management by systematically collecting and reporting on streams of data to measure performance instead of relying on rote compliance.Research limitations implications - The model is limited because it does not account for important intangible qualities of performance (e.g. attitude, initiative, judgment); in the hands of autocratic managers it can be oppressive and cause more problems than it solves; it may constrain officer discretion; it has not been advanced as a learning instrument; and performance indicators are subject to measurement error.Practical implications - Most police agencies are already capturing the necessary data elements to implement a performance management model. Police executives and policymakers can use this model to definitively measure how well police agencies and individual programs are performing.Originality value - The paper represents an opportunity for police practitioners to embrace a new management process intended to improve performance and accountability. The framework is a universal management process that can be applied to any size police agency or any police program.