St. John Fisher College Fisher Digital Publications Education Doctoral Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. School of Education 8-2011 Sergeants as Leaders: A Case Study of Transformational Leadership Among First-Line Supervisors in the Police Department Betty L. Campbell St. John Fisher College Follow this and additional works at: https://fisherpub.sjfc.edu/education_etd Part of the Education Commons How has open access to Fisher Digital Publications benefited ou?y Recommended Citation Campbell, Betty L., "Sergeants as Leaders: A Case Study of Transformational Leadership Among First-Line Supervisors in the Police Department" (2011). Education Doctoral. Paper 48. Please note that the Recommended Citation provides general citation information and may not be appropriate for your discipline. To receive help in creating a citation based on your discipline, please visit http://libguides.sjfc.edu/citations. This document is posted at https://fisherpub.sjfc.edu/education_etd/48 and is brought to you for free and open access by Fisher Digital Publications at St. John Fisher College. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Sergeants as Leaders: A Case Study of Transformational Leadership Among First-Line Supervisors in the Police Department Abstract This qualitative research examined the leadership styles and professional development practices of a police department, the reflective experiences of police sergeants as they transition from being patrol officers, and the perception of police sergeants of their career development. Specifically, this study sought to answer the following essential questions: (a) What are the self-reported and observed leadership styles and practices of police sergeants at the Echo Bay police department? (b) To what extent do police sergeants practice the tenants of transformational leadership, and (c) How do police departments develop the leadership competencies of their police sergeants. The researcher used four different techniques (a) in-depth interviews, (b) focus groups, (c) direct observations, and (d) a survey as part of the qualitative component of the research and the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire as part of its selection activity. The results using a coding process revealed some major themes that indicated that sergeants used idealized attributes, individualized consideration, inspirational motivation; all features of transformational leadership. The studied police department promoted professional development by offering tuition reimbursement, job enhancement, and job enrichment. The research revealed that the police department had an informal talent management system which included: coaching, mentoring, job rotation, and job expansion. The researcher recommended that further research should include the entire command structure (patrol officero t commissioner) and, most importantly, the institutionalization of a talent management system in which patrol officers ear exposed to leadership development early in their careers to help navigate the complex law enforcement landscape of the 21st century. Document Type Dissertation Degree Name Doctor of Education (EdD) Department Executive Leadership First Supervisor Claudia L. Edwards Second Supervisor John J. Koster Subject Categories Education This dissertation is available at Fisher Digital Publications: https://fisherpub.sjfc.edu/education_etd/48 Sergeants as Leaders: A Case Study of Transformational Leadership Among First-Line Supervisors in the Police Department By Betty L. Campbell Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Ed.D. in Executive Leadership Supervised by Dr. Claudia L. Edwards Committee Member Dr. John J. Koster Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. School of Education St. John Fisher College at the College of New Rochelle August 2011 Dedication I dedicate this to my parents Verta R. Campbell and the late Howard B. Campbell, Jr. and to my children Christopher, Lawrence III, and Olivia. Thank you, for your unconditional love and support. To the home team: my husband, Lawrence E. Darden Jr. thank you for supporting me through this journey and taking such great care of the kids. To my sister Valerie thank you for always being there for me. I could not have reached this milestone without your support and encouragement. To the countless number of family and friends (Karen, Susan, Sharon, Christy, Ms. Iris, and Donna) who have supported me both emotionally and spiritually, thank you. Lastly, to my Executive Mentor, Dr. Gilbert Louis, thank you for your guidance, support, and friendship. ii Biographical Sketch Betty L. Campbell is currently the Director/District Liaison of the 9th Judicial Problem Solving Courts, which is a part of the New York State Unified Court System. Ms. Campbell attended Iona College from 1994 to 1996 and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts/Sciences degree in 1996. She attended New York University from 2000 to 2003 and graduated with a Master of Public Administration. She came to St. John Fisher College in the summer of 2009 and began doctoral studies in the Ed.D. Program in Executive Leadership. Ms. Campbell pursued her research in Transformational Leadership in Policing under the direction of Dr. Claudia L. Edwards and Dr. John J. Koster and received the Ed.D. degree in August 2011. iii Acknowledgment I would like to extend a special thank you to the Police Commissioner of the Echo Bay Police Department under whose leadership and guidance police officers for the twenty-first century are developed. I would like to acknowledge the men and women of the Echo Bay Police Department for their hard work and dedication to the policing profession. To my “gatekeeper” and expert panel members thank you for sharing your expertise, wisdom and guidance. To the sergeants of Echo Bay, thank you for allowing me the opportunity and privilege to share your story. I would like to thank my Chair and Committee member: Dr. Claudia L. Edwards and Dr. John J. Koster for their support and guidance. To the Executive Leaders in the judiciary: Hon. Alan Scheinkman, Nancy Mangold, Hon. Richard Molea, Hon. Juanita Bing Newton, and the Hon. Preston Scher (retired) your insight, guidance, support and most importantly your encouragement was invaluable, thank you. To cohort one at SJFC at CNR it was a memorable experience and I wish you all the best. To the SMART team Harry, Janice, Noreen, Shelly, Estee, and Tahira, thank you for being such a great support system. To Dr. Sam Walton and Dr. Ronald Valenti, it is because of your vision for the program that my dream has become a reality. Thank you. iv Abstract This qualitative research examined the leadership styles and professional development practices of a police department, the reflective experiences of police sergeants as they transition from being patrol officers, and the perception of police sergeants of their career development. Specifically, this study sought to answer the following essential questions: (a) What are the self-reported and observed leadership styles and practices of police sergeants at the Echo Bay police department? (b) To what extent do police sergeants practice the tenants of transformational leadership, and (c) How do police departments develop the leadership competencies of their police sergeants. The researcher used four different techniques (a) in-depth interviews, (b) focus groups, (c) direct observations, and (d) a survey as part of the qualitative component of the research and the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire as part of its selection activity. The results using a coding process revealed some major themes that indicated that sergeants used idealized attributes, individualized consideration, inspirational motivation; all features of transformational leadership. The studied police department promoted professional development by offering tuition reimbursement, job enhancement, and job enrichment. The research revealed that the police department had an informal talent management system which included: coaching, mentoring, job rotation, and job expansion. The researcher recommended that further research should include the entire command structure (patrol officer to commissioner) and, most importantly, the institutionalization of a talent management system in which patrol officers are exposed to v leadership development early in their careers to help navigate the complex law enforcement landscape of the 21st century. vi Table of Contents Dedication ........................................................................................................................... ii Biographical Sketch ........................................................................................................... iii Acknowledgment ............................................................................................................... iv Abstract ............................................................................................................................... v List of Tables ...................................................................................................................... x List of Figures .................................................................................................................... xi Chapter 1: Introduction ....................................................................................................... 1 Problem Statement ...................................................................................................9 Theoretical Rationale ...............................................................................................9