Maintaining and enforcing peace and order is a challenging responsibility that police have to undertake daily. Hence, police supervisors and administrators should motivate officers to remain engaged and committed to their role. Fredrick Herzberg espouses that employee satisfaction is two-dimensional. Motivators like achievement and recognition inspire employees to be creative and productive, while hygiene factors such as supervision and salary cause dissatisfaction. Since motivators are directly related to the nature of work done, their incorporation results in high satisfaction levels and heightens productivity. However, intrinsic motivators such as recognition outrank hygiene factors like salary when pay is competitive. Hence, police officers respond more to intrinsic motivators like recognition, achievement, growth, and advancement opportunities than hygiene factors.
Police officers are motivated to be productive and committed when recognized for their work. Ward (2018) explains that awarding and recognizing officers’ good performance is a crucial motivating factor. As a police chief, I realize that the work of police officers is risky and challenging. Officers risk their lives daily to ensure social peace and order. Therefore, acknowledging and celebrating the role of police officers boosts their morale. Officers valued for outstanding performance will likely excel and commit to their jobs. The various recognition methods I will consider are public praise, awards, and promoting exemplary performance. Thus, I will celebrate and award officers for their outstanding work to boost their morale and commitment.
I will also motivate police officers by providing opportunities for growth and development. According to Bune (2015), police officers tend to be committed and engaged when presented with professional growth and development avenues. One study by the National Institute of Justice determined that officers who undergo regular on-the-job training are unlikely to quit their roles. As the Chief of Police, I will avail more training opportunities in crime prevention and community policing strategies. I will also encourage the staff to learn new skills by attending seminars and conferences. Thus, I will encourage the officers to pursue further training and education for their personal and organizational development.
Creating a positive work environment is also crucial to motivating officers. My role as the Chief police officer is to ensure that the staff are constantly engaged, motivated, and productive in their work. Therefore, I will create a positive working environment by encouraging teamwork, collaboration, and open communication among the officers. Fortenbery (2015) explains that officers can only excel when comfortable sharing their opinions with colleagues and superiors. The officers are also likely to suffer stress and burnout due to the demanding nature of their jobs. Hence, supervisors should provide resources that help officers cope with stress. Thus, the Chief of Police should strive to create a conducive work environment for officers as this heightens their engagement and productivity.
Overall, managers and administrators in law enforcement should be mindful of the factors that affect motivation and productivity among police officers. Since policing is challenging, individuals in this field will likely suffer burnout and decreased motivation. Some officers may opt for interdepartmental transfers or assignment changes to boost their motivation. However, most agencies lack such opportunities. Therefore, supervisors such as the Chief of police must discover alternative ways of boosting officers’ morale. Thus, incorporating intrinsic factors such as recognition for a job well done can positively impact officers’ attitudes and motivate them to excel in their respective roles.
References
Bune, K. L. (2015). 4 ways leaders can (and should) motivate their officers. Police 1. Retrieved from:https://www.police1.com/leadership/articles/4-ways-leaders-can-and-should-motivate-their-officers-nw89YEapgJCQOF7y/
Fortenbery, J. (2015). Improving motivation and productivity of police officers. https://leb.fbi.gov/articles/featured-articles/improving-motivation-and-productivity-of-police-officers
Ward, S. (2018). 4 Ways police leaders can motivate personnel. Police 1. Retrieved from: https://www.police1.com/chiefs-sheriffs/articles/4-ways-police-leaders-can-motivate-personnel-p2UZJtJDa1a5PzGF/
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