Strategic Leadership in Criminal Justice - Case Study Example

 Strategic Leadership in Criminal Justice Introduction The leadership dilemma being faced by Kathy Simpson is related to strategic organizational change in a specific criminal justice setting. Description of the Leadership Dilemma Kathy Simpson is a team leader at Pokon Correctional Facility. The organization is undergoing a restructuring as per which Kathy Simpson is required to recommend the name of ten personnel in one’s team to be redeployed, thereby reducing the number of personnel in the team from 20 to 10. The proposed change has impacted the moral of the personnel working in Kathy’s team and has led to a widespread distress. Not only has there been a rise in the number of personnel resorting to sick leave, but there has also been a significant deterioration in the work performance. Kathy is required to resort to an apt leadership strategy that will ameliorate the concerns and distress of the personnel in one’s team and will lead to the requisite levels of work performance. Key Issues Involved The key issue is that Kathy’s organization is opting for a change, which it believes will lead to better work performance, efficiency and effectiveness. Managing organizational change is one of the most difficulties things to do, as the resistance to change ensues from varied sections of an organization (Joyce, 2000, p. 3). Those personnel who are most likely to be impacted by change could positively be expected to register maximum resistance, which is either intended, or happens inadvertently (Randall, 2004, p. 16). The employees in Kathy’s team are resisting the change and Kathy is required to resort to an apt leadership strategy to manage this problem (Barganza, 2001, p. 119). The personnel could be resisting change owing to a variety of reasons like: Not being aware about the intended change (Sims, 2002, p. 36) Being used to the set ways of doing things (Sims, 2002, p. 41) Fear about the intended change (Sims, 2002, p. 42) Trust deficit in the organization (Sims, 2002, p. 36) Fear about being not able to fit in the new arrangement Insecurity regarding status or job (Sims, 2002, p. 47) Peer pressure (Sims, 2002, p. 47) Organizational culture (Sims, 2002, p. 71) Not the right timing (Sims, 2002, p. 140) Not able to see the benefits inherent in the change (Sims, 2002, p. 49) It goes without saying that the apprehensions of the personnel in Kathy’s team are to a great extent valid and justified. Hence, Kathy ought to resort to an appropriate leadership approach to ameliorate the identifiable and genuine concerns of the employees. Selected Leadership Approach- Transformational Leadership As Kathy is the team leader, it goes without saying that he enjoys a degree of rapport with one’s team members. Hence, in the given dilemma, Kathy ought to establish herself as a transformational leader to assure a smooth management of change in the organization. What is Transformational Leadership? Transformational leadership is an approach towards leadership which enables the team leaders to help team members rise to higher levels of moral and effectiveness. It allows the team leaders to help wrought out a positive and desirable change in the personnel following them. It is an approach towards leadership wherein the team leader exploits one’s vision and integrity to secure the commitment and sincerity of the team members in the intended change process (Rickards, 2005, p. 23). In this approach towards leadership, a team leader relies on one’s positive and inspiring vision to enable the employees to extend full commitment and cooperation in the envisaged change process (Rickards, 2005, p. 23). Transformational leaders not only help the followers question the set status quo and the set ways of doing things in an organization, but also successfully convey to the followers as to how by using their creativity and ingenuity, they can adjust to change and actually make the best of it. Transformational leaders are often able to use the envisaged change to teach their team members the new ways of doing things (Bass, 1998, p. 30). In fact they are always able to motivate the team members to welcome change and to adapt to novel approaches towards things. The transformational approach towards leadership is very egalitarian and participative in its vision, rather than being authoritarian and militaristic and chain of command based. Transformational leaders believe in forging a personal relationship with each and every employee and tend to help and extend support to each employee on an individual basis. Pros and Cons of Transformational Leadership There is no denying the fact that as compared to the other models of leadership like charismatic leadership or situational leadership, the approach of transformational leadership is more balanced and humane (Bass, 1998, p. 28). The transformational approach towards leadership believes in soliciting the employee commitment and participation through motivation and exploits the integrity and passion residing within the overall personality of the team leader (Bass, 1998, p. 30). Transformational leadership tends to avoid negative motivation at all costs and believes that the employees work the best when they are well motivated and inspired. This model of leadership appeals to the higher self within the employees and takes care of their basic needs and aspirations. The main lacuna within the transformational model of leadership is its total reliance on the overall personality and vision of the team leader. In real life situations, a team leader may sometimes not be able to muster enough vision and integrity to solicit the appeal and commitment of the involved team members. There may be varied barriers in the way of a leader opting for a transformational leadership like a looming trust gap or an inability on the part of the leader to convey one’s vision in a lucid and detailed manner (Bass, 1998, p 143). Application of the Transformational Leadership to the Concerned Leadership Dilemma Consider the dilemma being faced by Kathy Simpson; it will be really beneficial on the part of the team leader to resort to a transformational approach to solicit employee participation in the incumbent change process. How a Transformational Approach will work in the Scenario under Consideration It is a known fact that the employees at Pokon Correctional Facility are suffering from varied negative anticipation. So it will be apt for Kathy Simpson to throw the weight of her seniority, vision and integrity behind the intended change process. Kathy should interact with all the employees on an individual basis and must somehow convey to them the overall good and scope for development inherent in the envisaged change process (Goldstein, 1990, 54). Kathy must use her seniority to arrange several meetings with the team members and should elaborately convey to then the ramifications of the planned change process (Goldstein, 1990, p. 16). Once the employees are able to confront the reality that the change process is inevitable, with the help of Kathy, they will definitely do all that is possible to make the change process smooth and beneficial for the entire team Kathy should also use her repo and credibility in the team to help them envisage the post change adjustments and realities (Rosenbaum, 1994, p. 82). This will make the team members realistically imagine as to how the change will impact them (Rosenbaum, 1994, p. 82). Many of them may end up feeling that perhaps the change is for the betterment of all the people involved in it. Kathy should also amply empathize with the personnel to be redeployed and must convey to them as to how the new postings will be exactly in consonance with their past status, aptitude and skill levels. This will mitigate the sense of apprehension rampant in the employees and will boost the work performance in the short and long run. Kathy should recognize as a true transformational leader that going by the augmenting sick leaves, perhaps the distress being faced by the team members is real and expected. Kathy should sit with each employee to be relocated on a one to one basis and should help them mourn the intended change and the alterations it involves in a positive and meaningful way. This will enable the employees to see beyond the current dismal situation and to devise a positive planning for the things to come. Kathy should resort to everything possible to pep up the moral of the employees about the intended change and should make them feel enlightened about the opportunities and good inherent in the change. She should positively encourage the employees to wean off from the set ways of doing things and to enthusiastically opt for new opportunities, responsibilities and challenges. Conclusion The truth is that Kathy’s correctional facility is opting for a major change that will impact almost half the employees in Kathy’s team. Hence, it is vital for Kathy to emerge as a transformational leader willing to inspire and motivate the employees by one’s integrity and vision and help them see the opportunities inherent in the change. This will help the team members come to terms with change and will enable them to wholeheartedly accept the varied aspects of the inevitable change process. References Bass, Bernard M. (1998). Transformational Leadership. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. Barganza, Ashley. (2001). Radical Process Change: A Best Practice Blue Print. New York: John Wiley & Sons. Goldstein, Herman. (1990). Problem Oriented Policing. New York: McGraw-Hill. Joyce, Paul. (2000). Strategy in the Public Sector: A Guide to Effective Change Management. New York: John Wiley & Sons. Randall, Julian. (2004). Managing Change/Changing Managers. London: Routledge. Rosenbaum, Dennis. (1994). The Challenge of Community Policing. New York: Sage Publications. Rickards, Tudor. (2005). Dilemmas of Leadership. New York: Routledge. Sims, Ronald R. (2002). Changing the Way we Manage Change. Westport, CT: Quorum Books. Read More