Vision Renewed

Anywhere Police Department: Vision Renewed

Josh Abbott
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"All organizations have problems they need to resolve. Whether people work through

friction to fix problems or point fingers depends a lot on what they think of their leadership."

(O'Keefe, 2020)

There is no such thing as a perfect organization. While it may seem disheartening to

know there are both real and perceived issues, it is essential to understand what those issues are

within an organization. Only through continual self-reflecting can an organization improve.

Below are the problems discovered by our consultancy agency and the Human Resources

Department for the Anywhere Police Department:

• Members of the department say the leaders are failing to provide a clear direction for the

agency and the members.

• There is a lack of communication throughout the agency.

• Favoritism is shown when either promotions or selection to elite positions.

• Leaders hold members of the department "accountable" yet do not hold themselves

accountable.

• Leaders have their "go to" people and have little time or energy for those outside of their

circle or team.

• Discipline has been perceived to be disparate. Members have been held to one standard

while leaders have acted unethically and not been held to the same standard.

• Numerous chain of command violations have taken place where one leaders gives

direction while another leaders gives countermanding or conflicting instructions.

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• There is a lack of planning or foresight into future needs of the department.

• There are numerous false starts and no execution or completion of plans.

Honestly, facing these criticisms and making a genuine attempt to alleviate or lessen their

impact will be the first step in improving the trust and efficiency of the Anywhere Police

Department.

To better understand the above problems provided by the HR department and verified by

our consultancy agency, we will organize them into a structure in which each issue can be

addressed with other similar problems, thus making it easier to assess and overcome. We will

discuss four categories in which each issue will be addressed. These categories

included: Digging Deep, in which transparency and equal accountability will develop

trust. Align Work and Communication, which will cover setting goals through constructive

communication and demand consistency from all levels of the organization. Tear Down the

Silos, which will speak to fair and equal treatment throughout the agency and plan for the future

as a team. Finally, Map It will require the agency to constantly self-evaluate and make

adjustments as needed to ensure continued improvement.

DIGGING DEEP

Evaluations:

Evaluations are an essential and valuable tool to determine the effectiveness of the

individual, the team, and the entire organization. However, evaluations must be done honestly

and with transparency. If done correctly, an evaluation can lead to an improved understanding of
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personal performance and set up goals personally and professionally. Furthermore, it can help

boost morale by giving employee's a chance to be recognized for their hard work (Villanova,

2020).

For the Anywhere Police Department, we recommend both Top-Down Reviews and 360

Reviews. The individual's direct supervisor does top-Down Reviews, or whoever would have the

most first-hand knowledge of that individual's performance. This lends to the credibility of either

the critiques or the praise. 360 Reviews are reviews overseen by the HR Department and allow

subordinates to provide feedback on supervisors. We would recommend these reviews be down

anonymously to encourage the employees to feel open and honest without repercussion. There is

a valid concern that these reviews could be used for disgruntled individuals to air their

grievances. However, this concern will be covered in another section in the importance of

thoroughly validating complaints. Lastly, another necessary type of evaluation is evaluating the

organization as a whole.

Get to Know Your Team:

In the Principles of Marine Corps Leadership (2021), one of the most critical

leadership principles is knowing your people and looking out for their welfare. Anywhere Police

Department leaders should make a conscientious effort to observe and learn about the employees

who work below them. This must be done with a genuine approach. Doing so can develop trust

through approachability, assist leaders in encouraging individual development, and adequately

surmise where individual's talents are best suited in what roles. Developing strong individuals

leads to solid teams, and that leads to a strong organization.

ALIGN WORK AND COMMUNICATION

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The Havard Business Review shared a paper, Creating a Purpose-Driven

Organization (2018), which spoke about creating ownership within the workforce of an

organization. This is done by creating a higher purpose for the employees and providing them

with work and meaningful results.

Setting up the vision:

Project UNITE's Four Stages of Teambuilding (2021) lists the first stage as Forming. In

this stage, it is recommended that a team agrees on the team's purpose or vision. Of the listed

issues within the Anywhere Police Department, the first listed issue was that many department

members feel their leaders were failing to provide a clear direction. Therefore, we would

recommend the entire department initiate meetings in which all members can talk about their

ideas and recommendations for a shared vision. Leaders should focus on setting individual team

visions that coincide with the overall more excellent vision as well. However, a vision cannot be

a phrase put up for decoration. A real vision must have a significant purpose, a picture of the

future, and clear values (Blanchard, 2004).

Establishing Goals:

Along with setting up a vision, leaders should work with their teams to set up goals.

Goals provide ongoing feedback on the effectiveness of the organization and the individuals.

Goals can connect individuals to the organization's objectives and create the ownership required

for a successful team. All employees should be asked to directly contribute to the setting of these

goals (Gallo, 2011).

Goals should be attainable but also challenging. This a complex process for

leaders, and they should be assisted at all levels when setting up and discussing possible plans.
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Balance must be achieved as goals that are too challenging could cause resentment or

disillusionment. Conversely, goals that are too easy may lead to an overall culture of settling for

mediocrity (Gallo, 2011).

Leaders within the organization should celebrate goals that are accomplished as a

team and recognize individual contributions. Conversely, when goals aren't met, or some issues

arise preventing meeting goals, leaders should take the opportunity to develop relationships and

work together to rework the plan or possibly get more involved Gallo, 2011). Unless, of course,

the goals were not met due to reasons that may require disciplinary actions, which will be

covered in the next section.

Demand and Provide Consistency from Leaders:

Like so many other organizations, employees within the Anywhere Police

Department are clamoring for consistency within the leadership team. While not all leaders are

the same, nor should they be, all leaders within the department should share the same overall

vision and similar goals amongst their teams. When employees receive inconsistent treatment

and expectations, it causes inconsistent work quality. In addition, employees may spend more

time wondering how to proceed with goals and harboring resentment towards leaders who have

wildly different expectations and directives than another leader (Brown, 2016).

TEAR DOWN THE SILOS

Teamwork:

Ray Patchett (2021), a distinguished leader who served 20 years as the City Manager in

Carlsbad, California. Mr. Patchett suggests the following are the 8 Traits of a Great Team:
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• Clean on mission, goals, and/or task.

• Leadership fosters a Public Service and Learning Culture

• Team member roles, responsibilities, and assignments are clear.

• Team members are empowered, accountable, and share in the decision-making process.

• Operating ground rules are agreed to and adhered to by ALL team members.

• Conversations are genuine among team members.

• Deliver results effectively.

• Organizational culture, structure, police and systems are helpful and support the group's

mission, goal, or task.

Employees, including the agency's leaders, need to have their roles and expectations

made very clearly. In addition, leaders should be expected to provide the guidance and

mentorship necessary to foster growth within the agency.

Training and Guidance:

Team members should feel supported by their leaders. Ken Blanchard and Jesse Stoner

suggest that trained and equipped people focus on implementing the agreed-upon vision and

direction (Blanchard, 2004). Learning is a powerful motivator, and employees respond very

positively when they can think and grow in their career field (Quinn, 2018). A Gallup article

shared several issues that employees care about regarding what their organization is providing

them. Two of the topics covered were the agency preparing the employee for the job and whether

the agency cares about the individual employee's well-being (Harter, 2020). Investing in

bettering your employees will answer both these questions for the workforce of the organization.
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MAP IT

No organization should rest on its laurels. Constant re-evaluations and check-ins should

be performed to ensure all teams and members are on task and following the vision. Leaders

need to allow employees to voice opinions, concerns, and ideas. Leaders should engage in active

listening, which will be extremely useful in successful team building (Susmita, 2021).

Results should be shared transparently and honestly. Teams expect honest so that they can

assist in planning the next steps. Allowing all members to know what is going well and what is

not going well fosters the belief that everyone, leaders included, is accountable and will buy

loyalty (Susmita, 2021). In addition, employees will trust leaders more when they feel they are

privy to timely and essential information.

CONCLUSION

Fixing the problems within this or any other organization takes time and

dedication. Therefore, trust will not be established immediately. However, changes can be

implemented now to make a strong impression and show that the agency is committing to

making changes seriously.

Establish a vision that is true to the agency's role in the community, not something

filled with platitudes. The agency must set goals to be challenging but realistic and encourage all

employees to communicate what they feel would be worthwhile goals. Demand and provide

consistency from leaders. Treat all employees equally, disciplinary action included, and hold all

to the same level of accountability. Focus on team-building strategies. Provide guidance and

training. In other words, invest in your people. Be honest and transparent in all aspects.
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When you believe in your vision and your people, they will believe in you as well.

So ensure that everyone has buy-in to this vision and leave no one out of building this

department back to the place you all want it to be.

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REFERENCES

Blanchard, K., & Stoner, J. (2004, Winter). The Vision Thing: Without it You'll Never Be a

World-Class Organization.

Brown, J. (2016, February 29). Consistency – a critical leadership trait. Retrieved June 25, 2021,

from https://www.sebasolutions.com/consistency-a-critical-leadership-trait/

Gallo, A. (2011, February 07). Making sure your employees succeed. Retrieved June 25, 2021,

from https://hbr.org/2011/02/making-sure-your-employees-suc?registration=success

Hanwit, J. (2021). Four Stages of Teambuilding - Project UNITE.

Harter, J.(2020, March 23). COVID-19: What Employees Need From Leadership Right Now -

Gallup.

Marine Corps. (n.d.). RP 0103 - Principles of Marine Corps Leadership.

O'Keefe, M., & Buono, J. (2020, April 3). Crisis Communication: How Great Leaders Stop

Rumor Before They Start - Gallup.

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Patchett, R., & Morrison, G. (2021). Presentation 5.1: Building Great Teams - Interview [LEPS

540]. University of San Diego, San Diego.

Quinn, R. E., & Thakor, A. V. (2018, July/August). Creating a Purpose-Driven Organization -

Harvard Business Review.

Susmita, S. (2021, May 18). 10 Proven Techniques To Optimise Team Morale. Nurture an

Engaged and Satisfied Workforce | Vantage Circle HR Blog. https://blog.vantagecircle.com/optimise-

team-morale/amp/.

Villanova University. (2020, February 25). Villanovau.com. Retrieved June 24, 2021, from

https://www.villanovau.com/resources/hr/understanding-performance-evaluations