myAIPMThe Lived Experience of Police Leadership Development: A Phenomenological Study
James J. Sheets
“I think on the job is where it really develops.
You put into practice where you learn through
adversity, trial and error, through feedback
from your subordinates and co leaders as well.”
Abstract
Law Enforcement services in the United States are currently faced with complex and ever changing challenges. Police leaders must be fluid and adaptive in order to effectively navigate an ever-fluctuating operational environment. Police leadership development has been identified as critical in preparing law enforcement executives to effectively negotiate these complicated issues. A gap in the research exists concerning law enforcement executives and their lived experiences of leadership development training and this training’s effect on their executive skills. The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to provide a better understanding of the lived experiences of uniformed federal police agency executives and their leadership development. A goal of this research was to examine data from uniformed federal police agency leaders regarding their experiences of their leadership development and its influence on their executive law enforcement proficiencies. A purposeful sample of five uniformed federal police agency leaders from the nine largest uniformed federal police agencies was utilized. This sample size may have limited transferability or generalizability. Interviews were conducted telephonically and data was collected using a standardized questionnaire with open-ended questions. The data was analyzed using Moustaka’s (1994) modified Van Kaam model.
Ten emergent themes were identified regarding the participants reconstruction of their lived experiences regarding leadership development training. Overall, the training experience was viewed as having added value to their personal development as a leader. Leadership development training alone was found insufficient in preparing future police leaders to lead a department administratively or during critical incidents. Learning from experience and mentoring were credited as having more value in their development than a leadership training session. Future research recommendations include the use of varying qualitative frameworks or mixed methods studies for a more holistic approach.
Last, a larger and more diverse sample size should be examined. Recommendations for practice involve police administrators and trainers examining the findings and exploring the potential effectiveness of blended methods for future leadership development.
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Dissertation Manuscript submitted to Northcentral University, School of Business and Technology Management in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of DOCTOR OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION by JAMES J. SHEETS, San Diego, California, June 2017