How Police Supervisory Styles Influence Patrol Officer Behavior

The behavior of the team members of a particular team depends to a large extent on the style of supervision adopted by the supervisor or the leader of that team. In this regard, it needs to be said that the role of leader or supervision becomes an important one since they are responsible not only for their individual behavior or performance but also that of their subordinates or team members as well. The article under discussion here clearly indicates that there are seven kinds of supervision styles which are being adopted by the police supervisor for the performance of their job roles. However, the article after an analysis of the seven styles states that the active style of supervision since it has a direct impact not only on the subordinate police officers but at the same time on the supervisors as well.

Running head: INVESTIGATIVE UNIT
Investigative Unit
Name of the Student:
Name of the University:
Author’s Note:

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The behavior of the team members of a particular team depends to a large extent on
the style of supervision adopted by the supervisor or the leader of that team. In this regard, it
needs to be said that the role of leader or supervision becomes an important one since they
are responsible not only for their individual behavior or performance but also that of their
subordinates or team members as well (Ashcroft, Daniels & Hart, 2003). This essay will
discuss about the role of supervision style on the behavior or performance of the subordinates
in the particular context of the article “How Police Supervisory Styles Influence Patrol
Officer Behavior”.
The article under discussion here clearly indicates that there are seven kinds of
supervision styles which are being adopted by the police supervisor for the performance of
their job roles (Ashcroft, Daniels & Hart, 2003). However, the article after an analysis of the
seven styles states that the active style of supervision since it has a direct impact not only on
the subordinate police officers but at the same time on the supervisors as well. It is pertinent
to note that the performance of these officers are directly related to the supervision styles
adopted by the supervisors and if these individuals opt for the direct style then it fosters an
atmosphere of transparency as well as openness among the subordinates. More importantly,
this encourages the individuals to adopt the kind of behavior which will enable them to solve
the various problems in a much more effective manner (Ashcroft, Daniels & Hart, 2003). In
addition to this, the article at the same time stresses that the use of this style of supervision is
likely to help the patrolmen to “implement community policing goals” (Ashcroft, Daniels &
Hart, 2003).
The notion of community policing has gained special prominence within the cannon
of the contemporary world on the score of the increasing number of crimes within the various
communities of the world. More importantly, it is seen that this machinery is directly affected
by the style of supervision adopted by the managers. For example, the article “How Police

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Supervisory Styles Influence Patrol Officer Behavior” clearly indicates that the active
supervision style adopted by the managers is especially beneficial for community policing
(Ashcroft, Daniels & Hart, 2003). Furthermore, it is seen that this style of management helps
the patrol officers to achieve the community goals or objectives outlined by them in the most
effective manner. This can be attributed to the fact that the usage of this style enables the
managers to not only establish transparent as well as effective relationships with the patrol
officers but also with the members of the community as well. The net result of this is that the
crime rates in the various communities have reduced in a substantial manner and thereby
enabled the supervisors to achieve the community goals outlined by them.
The article “How Police Supervisory Styles Influence Patrol Officer Behavior” and its
findings can be utilized to improve the investigative unit in a substantial manner. It is
pertinent to note that the various investigative units of the world still follow indirect style of
supervision or the ones which are most convenient to them regardless of the outcomes.
However, it is seen that the usage of these styles often deters them from achieving the overall
goals or objectives that has been outlined for them. The usage of the active supervision style
would not only enable the investigative units to overcome the limitations of the traditional
styles used by them but at the same time would help them to achieve the goals in the most
effective manner (Ashcroft, Daniels & Hart, 2003).
I would like to mention at this juncture that I work at “Michael Kors Sales Associate”
and the organization takes the help of indirect style of supervision. It is pertinent to note that
the organization under discussion here has been able to attain a substantial amount of success
through the usage of this style over the years. However, in the recent times, the organization
is facing various kinds of performance issues and this has taken a toll on the annual revenue
of the concerned organization. Thus, I am of the viewpoint that the concerned organization
would be able to gain in a substantial manner through the effective usage of the active style

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of supervision. More importantly, the supervisors through the usage of this style would be
able to influence the performance level of the subordinates in a positive manner and this
would help them to improve the prospects of the concerned organization in a substantial
manner.
To conclude, the style of supervision adopted by the supervisors or the managers is
very vital since it is directly related to the performance of the followers or the supervisors.
More importantly, the use of an active style of supervision enables the managers or the
supervisors to influence the subordinates in a positive and thereby achieve the goals or the
objectives that has been outlined for them in the most effective manner.

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Reference
Ashcroft, J., Daniels, D., & Hart, S. (2003). How police supervisory styles influence patrol
officer behavior. Office of Justice Programs National Institute of Justice.