Organizational climate is an important aspect of organizational management as it directly influences the level of motivation of the employees. An organization’s climate is determined by the level of relationships that exist within the organization (Robbins & Judge, 2009). Bureaucracies and red tapes, the nature of leadership and generally the organization culture are among the key elements that determine the organizational climate. Organizational climate is determined by quantifying all the pasts of an organization. Therefore, organization climate is a product of the organization’s own initiatives. This paper examines the Los Angeles Police Department, currently headed by Chief Charlie Beck. Factors such as leadership, workers’ relations, and stakeholder’s interest among others will be examined.
Robbins and Judge, (2009), note that leadership plays a vital role in determining organizational climate. By nature of its job, the Los Angeles Police Department uses the modern bureaucratic approach of management which makes it easy to meet strict demands and emergencies that occur. However, the leadership approaches that are employed by the Los Angeles Police Department are not wholly authoritative and bureaucratic. The highest level of management collaborates with all the other management levels to ensure that there is a high quality of services delivered to the clients. Different management has had a different impact on the general organization climate. Under the current leadership of Chief Charlie Beck, there is more focus on the issue of community policing which has greatly changed the image of the police force to the public. Chief Charlie Beck’s predecessor on the other hand greatly influenced the organizational climate of the police department by introducing focusing on the concept of justice for all.
Middle-level and lower-level management also are known to maintain a professional relationship with the usual discipline and respect that is associated with police departments being observed. The nature of relationships both at work and out of work is relatively relaxed to enhance success in the process of service provision. Red tapes and other bureaucracies that are normally associated with the management of organizations outside the corporate sector do not hinder the level of interaction within the identified organization.
Another element that affects the organization climate as identified by Bakde, (2007) is the culture of the organization. At Los Angeles Police Department, a culture of cooperation has been cultivated over the years. This enables the criminal justice-based organization to provide seamless services to the public. The organization structure helps in the quick identification of parties that are involved in various issues thus speeding the delivery of justice. The culture of a corporation further boosts the delivery of services to the public while boosting the overall work morale of the workers. An organizational culture that has been set forth by the Los Angeles Police Department also has greatly boosted the public confidence in the police department further helping it to have a positive appeal.
Criminal justice systems form the third element that is used to define the organization climate. Like any other department in this system, the police department is characterized by high authority and power that comes with the criminal justice system. There is also high conformity to orders given by seniors as required by all proponents of the criminal justice departments. The system, therefore, has a significant effect on organizational climate as all the stakeholders involved are aware of the requirements of this system.
Applegate and Paoline, (2007), note that the laws and regulations that govern a specific system determine the organization’s climate. In Los Angeles Police Department, laws have a huge effect on the organization climate. To the inside stakeholders such as the workers, they are bound by law to strictly adhere to their job description. Internal codes of conduct also restrict the internal stakeholders from having major involvement in the decision-making process. The law also affects the organizational climate in the eyes of outsiders. Some members of the public especially the offenders may view the department negatively while the law-abiding citizens will have a positive image of the department.
Stakeholders also have an influence on the organization’s climate. The main stakeholders, in this case, are the political groups, the civil society groups, the police commission and the inspector general. For the political class, the police department represents some of the scorecards used to evaluate their success. The political class, therefore, has a direct effect on the organization’s climate. Civil societies and human rights watchdogs have a significant contribution to the organizational climate of the identified organization. As they try to ensure that there is strict adherence to the law, transparency and justice for all, the identified bodies have been known to have a direct effect on all criminal justice departments (Nicholson-Crotty and O’Tool, 2004). In support of this, Peak, (2010), further points out that no officer would like to be on the negative side of the identified bodies thus determining the work culture and organizational climate. Policies made by the police commission and the inspector general have a direct effect on the organizational climate as they are directly involved in the command of the police force.
Kania, (2008), points out that the effect of leadership on an organization climate is greatly aided by the level of command held by this leadership. This being a disciplined force, management has a great influence on the total organizational climate. Influence from leadership is positive as the leaders are focused on effective service delivery. On the other hand, culture influences the organization’s climate both positively and negatively. To the workers, the influence is positive as it assists in the process of workers’ assimilation into the system. However, organizational culture may hinder the workers to effectively relating with the public due to past images that have been associated with the police. Systems and laws are positive influential factors in the organization climate. It is the two that balances between the monopoly of the system to use force to foster conformity of law and order and misuse of this monopoly. Although police officers have the ability to use force to induce the desired response, they cannot use their power without restricting themselves to the law.
In conclusion, the management must ensure that all the identified aspects are utilized effectively so that the organizational climate at the police department is conducive to fostering service delivery. Past decisions that may act as impediments to a favorable organizational climate must be countered through effective ways to guarantee a motivated workforce. The management should also ensure that there are effective communication channels that would ensure that the views of the workers are taken into account. With these measures in place, the organizational climate will be improved and this will foster the general performance of workers.
References
Applegate. B., & Paoline, E. (2007). Jail officers’ perception of the work environment in Traditional Versus New Generation facilities. American Journal of Criminal Justice, 31(2). 85
Bakde, T., E. (2007). Public safety administration: Crisis intervention learning strategies, Journal Of Police Crisis Negotiations 7(2).85
Nicholson-Crotty, S., & O’Tool, L. J. (2004). Public Management and Organizational Performance: The case of law enforcement agencies. Journal of Public Administration Research & Theory. 14(1). Pp 1
Kania, R., E. (2008). Managing criminal justice organizations: An introduction. Newark, NJ: Lexis Nexis Matthew Bender.
Peak, K. (2010). Justice administration: police, courts, and corrections management. 6th ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ. Pearson/Prentice Hall.
Robbins, S., P. & Judge, T., A. (2009). Organizational behavior. 13th ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ. Pearson/Prentice Hall.