Organizational Behavior in the New York Police Department (NYPD) - Research Paper Example

. Organizational Behavior Organizational Behavior This essay will discuss about the organizational behavior in the New York Police Department (NYPD). There are approximately 34,500 police officers in the NYPD (Nyc.gov, 2012). Since the NYPD is composed of a large number of employees, it may be said that the organizational behavior within the organization will be quite diverse. The four major elements of organizational behavior which greatly affects the effectiveness of security agencies such as the NYPD are the people, the structure, the technology and the environment (Raina, 2009).

The NYPD is governed by Compstat, a dynamic police management process (Henry, n.d.). The decline in the crime rate in New York since 1993 is largely attributed to the implementation of the Compstat. (Henry, n.d.). The Compstat was initiated at the start of the term of Mayor Rudolf Giuliani in 1994 through Police Commissioner William J. Bratton. (Smith & Bratton, n.d.). The impact of Compstat on the organizational behavior within the NYPD is worth noting. The changes that the top management introduced were focused on emphasizing integrity among its people.

People are among the important elements of organizational behavior. This is the reason why it was necessary to undertake an assessment of the NYPD and find out the behaviors of its employees. The assessment revealed that organizational fear, self-protection, secrecy and exclusion were present within the organizational culture of the NYPD (Web.jjay.cuny.edu, n.d.). With the introduction of the Compstat, district commanders became accountable and responsible for the performance of their subordinates as well.

The lack of a strong supervision within the department which results in misconduct, corruption and brutality was addressed by Compstat too because a system of rewards and punishment was in place. (Web.jjay.cuny.edu, n.d.). According to NYPD Strategy No. 7 in 1995, one level in the chain of command was abolished and a new team of precinct commanders were empowered to customize tactics to local conditions, and a system of management meetings for crime control were scheduled to assess the progress of each precinct against serious crime and disorder (Web.jjay.cuny.edu, n.d.). This step was an important facet in the revamp of the structure of the organization which greatly affects the behavior of the NYPD personnel.

The structure of an organization is an important element of organizational behavior. It can result in good or bad performance of employees. “Structure defines the roles and relationships of people in an organization” (Raina, 2009). A change in the organizational structure would mean a change in how the different people in the organization will behave. Henry cites Krauss by stating that empowering the precinct commanders means that they are given more authority and “direct control over resources to carry out enforcement operations, to address chronic crime locations and suppress the low-level irritants to their communities” (n.d.).

Compstat’s general framework is composed of six key components which all influence the behaviors of the people within the NYPD. These six components are mission clarification, internal accountability, geographical organization of operational command, organizational flexibility, data-driven problem identification and assessment and innovative problem-solving tactics (Willis, Mastrofski, & Weisburd, 2003). The environment where the NYPD operates affects the behavior within the organization. Foremost among this is the media, which pressures the “police agency to release information, investigate wrong doing, and hold itself accountable to the public for the actions of its personnel” (Web.jjay.cuny.edu, n.d.). This makes the people in the NYPD extra careful not to commit any wrong doing lest they be in the front pages of newspapers.

A high or low incidence in crime in New York is an aspect of the environment which affects the organizational behavior of the employees of the NYPD. Great pressure from both the local government and the community is felt by the police force if there is a high incidence of crime. This will affect their attitude, behavior and work conditions. Aside from the media, the behavior of the employees of the NYPD is in part affected by the other criminal justice agencies. The NYPD operates in coordination with prosecutors, courts, corrections, and probation and parole agencies (Henry, n.d.).

Communication and interaction between the NYPD and these agencies are essential to have an effective system of justice administration (Henry, n.d.). Another factor that impacts the organizational behavior within the NYPD is the technology. The Compstat has introduced to NYPD advanced technology which allows the use of computers to effectively trace crime incidents. A computer-generated map is utilized to show when and where the crime is occurring (Henry, n.d.). With the introduction of this new technology, details about the crime such as the victim, the time of day when the crime happened, and the place where the crime took place are easily gathered (Henry, n.d.).

Furthermore, it helps police officers determine crime patterns. Like any other organization, NYPD’s organizational behavior is influenced by several factors. The people, structure, technology and environment all contribute towards the performance of every employee and eventually to the achievement of organizational goals. Works Cited Henry, V. E. (n.d.). Compstat management in the NYPD: Reducing crime and improving quality of life in New York City. Retrieved March 12, 2012, from unafei.or.jp: http://www.unafei.or.

jp/english/pdf/RS_No68/No68_11VE_Henry1.pdf Nyc.gov. (2012). Frequently asked questions - Police administration. Retrieved March 12, 2012, from nyc.gov: http://www.nyc.gov/html/nypd/html/faq/faq_police.shtml#1 Raina, S. (2009, November 5). Elements of organizational behavior. Retrieved March 12, 2012, from excellentguru.com: http://www.excellentguru.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&catid=45%3Aorganizational-behavior&id=209%3Aelements-of-organizational-behavior&Itemid=59 Smith, D. C.

, & Bratton, W. J. (n.d.). Performance management in New York City: Compstat and the revolution in police management. Retrieved March 12, 2012, from accenture.com: http://www.accenture.com/SiteCollectionDocuments/PDF/Chapter_16_DennisSmith.pdf Web.jjay.cuny.edu. (n.d.). NYPD- Integrity. Retrieved March 12, 2012, from web.jjay.cuny.edu: http://web.jjay.cuny.edu/~nbenton/crju709/conf/kimmelman/decide.html Willis, J. J., Mastrofski, S. D., & Weisburd, D. (2003). Compstat in practice: An in-depth analysis of three cities.

Retrieved March 12, 2012, from policefoundation.org: http://www.policefoundation.org/pdf/compstatinpractice.pdf .