UNIVERSITY OF CALGARY Early Identification of Police Leadership Potential in Alberta Police Service by Graham John Abela A THESIS SUBMITTED TO THE FACULTY OF GRADUATE STUDIES IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF EDUCATION GRADUATE DIVISION OF EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH CALGARY, ALBERTA JANUARY, 2012 © Graham John Abela 2012 Library and Archives Biblioth&que et Canada Archives Canada Published Heritage Direction du Branch Patrimoine de I'&dition 395 Wellington Street 395, rue Wellington Ottawa ON K1A0N4 Ottawa ON K1A0N4 Canada Canada Your file Voire inference ISBN: 978-0-494-83438-1 Our (He Notre reference ISBN: 978-0-494-83438-1 NOTICE: AVIS: The author has granted a non­ L'auteur a accord^ une licence non exclusive exclusive license allowing Library and permettant d la Biblioth&que et Archives Archives Canada to reproduce, Canada de reproduire, publier, archiver, publish, archive, preserve, conserve, sauvegarder, conserver, transmettre au public communicate to the public by par telecommunication ou par I'lnternet, prSter, telecommunication or on the Internet, distribuer et vendre des theses partout dans le loan, distrbute and sell theses monde, d des fins commerciales ou autres, sur worldwide, for commercial or non­ support microforme, papier, §lectronique et/ou commercial purposes, in microform, autres formats. paper, electronic and/or any other formats. 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Canada ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 1 would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge and thank those who have assisted me in my learning journey. First, to my darling wife and children, you have all been supportive and loving throughout this entire program and I thank you all immensely. I look forward to us all sharing in this achievement. To my parents, simply there are none better. I would like to thank Dr. Peggy Patterson for her unwavering support over the past four years; you are truly a professional and an awesome teacher. To Dr. Phyllis Day Chief, for her guidance in taking me to the next level. To Mr. Jamie Fisher, M.Sc., for his friendship and critical commentary. To the Alberta Association of Chiefs of Police for participating in this research. To Chief Rudd, Arlene Wong, the membership of the Taber Police Service, and Chief Terry Dreaddy (retired), for your encouragement and support. Thank you all. ii ABSTRACT This dissertation explored the early identification of leadership potential within municipal policing in the province of Alberta. The municipal members of the Alberta Association of Chiefs of Police participated in this mixed methods sequential exploratory research design consisting of two phases. Phase 1 consisted of a number of face-to-face interviews which were analyzed using Creswell's (2009) method for analyzing qualitative interviews. The results of Phase 1 formed the basis for an E-Survey deployed in Phase 2 of this research, which included the utilization of a modified Thurstone Scale. The results of Phase 1 and Phase 2 were combined and four criteria were identified by participants in their identification of early leadership potential: a) five identified indicators of leadership potential, b) leadership potential as seen by others, c) leadership potential as seen from within, and d) leadership potential as perceived by leaders. These four criteria established the foundation for the development of the Police Leadership Potential Model. When the criteria are used in conjunction with one another, it describes the exemplar junior officer with leadership potential in Alberta. The Police Leadership Potential Model may have utility in succession planning, and human resource practices within the Alberta municipal police sector. Key words: police leadership, succession planning, leadership potential, Police Leadership Potential Model, competency frameworks iii TABLE OF CONTENTS Acknowledgements ii Abstract iii Table of Contents iv List of Tables vii List of Figures viii CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1 Genesis 1 Significance 2 Uncharted territory 3 Demographics 3 Contractual matters 4 Academic potential 6 The economic issue 7 Purpose of this Research 8 Understanding the early identification of leadership potential 8 Public safety and leadership development 9 Concepts, practices and definitions 10 Research Questions 10 Methodology and Method 11 Mixed methods 11 Research Methodology 12 Theoretical framework: social constructivism 12 Assumptions 13 Delimitations 13 Limitations 14 Definitions 14 CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW 18 Review of Literature 18 Leadership Theory Overview 18 Great man theory 19 Trait theory 20 iv Behavioural school 20 Situational and contingency leadership 22 Path-goal theory of leadership 23 Transformational leadership 23 Emerging leadership theories 24 Leadership and Policing - a Gap in the Literature 26 Definitions of Police Leadership 29 Succession Planning 32 The policing context 34 Competency Frameworks 37 Critiques of competency frameworks 44 Identifying Potential: What the Literature Says 46 In Conclusion: Setting the Stage for this Study 50 CHAPTER 3: METHODS 52 Mixed Methods 52 Description of Research Study Process 56 The pilot study 56 Phase 1: the primary study: interviews 56 Phase 2: the primary study an e- survey 59 Addressing limitations or threats in the research 61 Researcher's Position 64 CHAPTER 4: METHODOLOGY 66 Social Constructivism 66 CHAPTER 5: RESULTS 71 The Pilot Study 71 Phase 1: Face-to-Face Interviews 71 Results of Phase 1 74 Demographic details 74 How you became a police leader 75 Definitions of police leadership 81 The identification of police leadership in others 85 Summary of learning and next steps, based on results from phase 1 92 Phase 2: E-Survey 94 Results of Phase 2 96 v Section 1. demographics results 96 Section 2. how you became a police leader 97 Section 3. police leadership definitions 98 Section 4. the identification of police leadership in others 103 CHAPTER 6: DISCUSSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS 106 Police Leadership Definitions 106 Leadership Potential - Police Leadership Potential Model 109 A.) Indicators of leadership potential 111 B.) As seen by others 111 C.) As seen from within 112 D.) As perceived by leaders 113 When and Where is Potential Experienced 113 The Role of Mentorship in Alberta Policing 115 Demographic Issues 116 Recommendations for Future Research 118 Limitations 121 REFERENCES 123 Appendix A: Interview Protocol 137 Appendix B: E-Survey Template 139 Appendix C: E-Survey Results 152 vi LIST OF TABLES Table 1. Key Themes Across Current Models of Potential p.47 Table 2. Educational Levels Achieved by the Municipal Members of the Alberta Association of Chiefs of Police p.75 Table 3. Key Words and Concepts of the Municipal Members of the Alberta Association of Chiefs of Police p.82 Table 4. Thurstone Scale Statistical Results Using Median and Inter-quartile Range p.99 Table 5. Thurstone Scale Statistical Results Using Mean, Standard Deviation, and Chi Square p.100 vii LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1. Flow of Promotion Within a Hypothetical Medium-sized Police Service in Alberta p.5 Figure 2. Royal Canadian Mounted Police Matrix Leadership p.29 Figure 3. Mixed Method Sequential Exploratory Design p.55 Figure 4. The Police Leadership Potential Model p.l 10 viii 1 CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION Genesis I was promoted early in my policing career. I have seen other officers around me promoted early in their careers. Each time I have seen early promotions, there were those who stated we will fail. On die other hand, in each case, someone recognized our potential. Someone observed in us what others did not. What did they see? (Inspector Graham Abela, 2010) During my twenty years in law enforcement, I have seen many police officers come and go. I have seen promotions, transfers, appointments, and secondments of police officers, early in their careers, to positions of supervision, leadership, and rank. In the past, without any insight or knowledge of processes or procedures, I have taken for granted the authority of those of higher rank, to have the requisite abilities and training to properly select people to be the next police leaders. However, as I have grown professionally, experientially, and academically, I have started to view these leadership selection processes from a more critical perspective. Police officers have the right to apply for promotion or advancement within their police services. However, beyond the individual officer's desire for promotion, does the formal leadership system within police services have a method of identifying, and indeed nurturing, officers with clear potential for leadership before a formal application for promotion has been made by the officer? In my experience, the answer to that question