Organizational Behavior
Shane Kloppenborg
CJA/444
October 27, 2014
Rochelle Diaz

Organizational Behavior One of the biggest hurdles in any organization is affecting change. Changes to policy, procedure, or regulation all come with some predetermined view of disgust, or apprehension. The drivers behind these changes can be social, political, or profit based, but in all instances, with all sizes of organizations, effective change management techniques can help offset the drop in efficiency, or morale. Within criminal justice systems, many factors play a part in policy, procedure, and regulation. Social interaction between members of the system and the community, and within the systems themselves, political pressure, and the overall behavior within an organizations membership can mean the success or failure of the organization. Police agencies for instance, do not have the luxury of failing, and therein would remain active, yet ineffective, hostile, with low results and a negative impact on the community. Organizational systems provide for the established routes of command, control, and production. From the chief administrator, to the patrol officer, these systems allow for an efficient, and effective line of communication and instruction from the top to the bottom of the ranks, and a line of communication to report successes, failures, and suggestions for change from the bottom back to the top ranks. Organizational behavior is relevant in that the manner in which this communication is submitted, passed and received, be it verbal orders, instructional material, or progressive change in policy, the reaction of the receiver(s) can determine the workplace environment. Should an administrator pass a policy change down the ranks with an authoritarian attitude beyond the scope of that necessary, the patrol officer may take offense. This could be because it was perceived as coming down on the officer, berating, or a policy change because the particular officer had messed up somehow. In turn, the officer may view the superior officers as hostile, and be less inclined to give 110 percent to the job, or report discrepancies in his or her work. The behavior on all points in a line of communication or environment plays significantly into the outcome and efficiency of an organizational system. The behavior of all parties in an organization reflects the perceptions of the organizational stakeholders. Employees who are satisfied with the workplace will be more efficient, producing an outcome which satisfies the community, customers, and shareholders. By ensuring that all parties are satisfied to some degree, changes may be implemented with the least amount of hostility in return. Additionally, affecting changes in increments allows for stakeholders to become accustomed to the change in the environment, getting proficient in one level of change in policy or procedure before implementing the next. Significant changes implemented all at one time can be stressful, overbearing, and cause a detrimental amount of undue confusion, reducing the morale and productiveness of the organization as a whole. Organizational culture is paramount to an organizations success. While job satisfaction is strived for by all employees in the criminal justice environment, the culture is more important to the needs of society, and the efficiency at which the system works. Some of the observable traits of criminal justice system are their orientation towards people, teams and outcomes. Most police officers work alone, or with a partner for the majority of their time on shift, but are required to function as a team. Not drifting into another officers sector on routine patrols, or assisting others when call upon are examples of the teamwork attitude. The criminal justice systems focus on outcomes is a catch twenty-two. While policing agencies strive to make arrests, and influence the crime rate, the procedures and techniques used to affect these are under constant scrutiny. Whether it is large-scale policy or an officer’s immediate decision making, the community, politicians, and even the higher ranks of the organization, all have a say in how the situation was handled, and if it should have or could have been handled differently. Effective communication and ethical equality are another important aspect of organizational culture which cannot be ignored; in fact it must be constantly monitored, and addressed. Change management is the effort made to effect changes within the criminal justice systems. While the systems are constantly changing due to societal progression, advancement in technology, and procedural law, members of the systems cannot be burdened with the task of making significant changes. To do so places an inordinate amount of undue stress and confusion on the system as a whole, from the passing down of information to the patrol officer which may not be entirely accurate, to the actions taken by the officer, who may be questioning each move made pertaining to the new changes, to the reporting of the incidents to dispatch, and the sergeants. Implementing changes in increments provides for a stable workforce, who procures proficiency in each change quickly, readying him or herself for the next change, rather than dumping a large amount of changes on the officer and expecting him or her to master them all in the same amount of time. This leaves the officer vulnerable, and places the officer and society at risk, as now the officer must take longer to mentally process each action he or she takes in a given situation. While change is progressive, and a part of any organization, the manner in which this change is affected bears the results of the organization. Effective change management can offset the dissenting attitudes, maintain or improve efficiency and the resulting outcomes, and organizational behaviors can be monitored, addressed, and adjusted. This allows for an efficient, productive organization. While criminal justice organizations strive for efficiency, all aspects of organizational management, behaviors and culture must be accounted for when implementing changes, in order to maintain an environment in which the officers maintain their mental faculties, and the higher ranks can ensure that the changes are happening smoothly. This will allow for the observers (administrators, politicians, and society) to accurately gauge the effectiveness of the changes.

References
Robbins, S.P. (2013). Organizational behavior (15th ed.). Retrieved from The University of Phoenix eBook Collection database.
Peak, K.J. (2012). Justice administration (7th ed.). Retrieved from The University of Phoenix eBook Collection database.