Organizational Behavior in Police Departments Organizational Behavior in Police Departments The study of the behavior of humans in an organization is called organizational behavior (Schermerhorn, Hunt, Osborn, & Uhl-Blen, 2010). Organizational behavior is a discipline that attempts to understand group and individual behavior, organizational dynamics, and interpersonal processes in an effort to improve the performance of the people in an organization and the organization itself. In a police department, organizational behavior can benefit by becoming critical for management to succeed in meeting the organizations goals. To understand the complex forces that make up human behavior in organizations, the nature of the organization must be reviewed first. An organization is described as a group of people working together to achieve a common goal or purpose. In the police department, the core purpose is to serve and protect. Many police departments have evolved from past generations of officers, and many departments are influenced by the local history and cultures. Three other influences effect the police agencies and the organization, the size of the department, the technology available, and environmental factors. In a large police department, information management, and direction need more organization to be maintained. The technology in a police department is also important in the matter of archiving information and how it is managed. The environmental factors would include the funding resources, politics, the media, workplace culture, and information distribution. Changes can take place in each area, and with organizational behavior, these changes can be made more easily. Organizational Culture The organizational culture of a police department are the shared values and beliefs by which behavior is influenced . There are three types of organizational cultures: aggressive/defensive, passive/defensive, and constructive. In an aggressive/defensive culture, the members are forceful in their interactions (Schermerhorn, Hunt, Osborn, & Uhl-Blen, 2010). In the passive/defensive culture, member are defensive in his or her actions (Schermerhorn, Hunt, Osborn, & Uhl-Blen, 2010). The culture most associated with high-performance organizations, such as police departments, is the constructive culture. In a constructive culture, the people in the organization work with better performance, satisfaction, teamwork, and motivation. In many police departments, the culture has to do with processes and practices that have been ingrained. In large departments, social subcultures emerge. For example, the homicide detectives may see the world differently than an anti-drug unit. When organizational management needs to make changes, these differences should be taken into account when seeking improvement or making changes. The diversity in the workforce is also a factor of organizational behavior. In a police department, there will be different races, genders, ethnicities, and ages. Depending on the demographic the police department is located in, these factors may differ. Teams in Police Departments Another important part of an organization is the use of teams. The team consists of the members of the team and the team leader. In a police department, this type of teamwork comes in the form of rank. In each department, the teams work together for a common purpose, and each has a leader (or leaders). Some police departments are split into two support operations and field operations. Each group has a deputy officer with middle managers who manage day-to-day business. The managers on the frontlines manage file and rank personnel. Conclusion The study of human behavior in an organization, or organizational behavior, is important to police department management and business. Because changes occur, even when there is a normal day-to-day system, organizational behavior can allow changes to be made to meet each individual’s needs. Understanding the diversity and culture of the police department can also affect the effectiveness of organizational behavior.

References
Lutzenberger, T. (2012). Effectiveness of Organization in a Police Department. Retrieved from http://www.ehow.com/about_6789847_effectiveness-organization-police-department.html
Schermerhorn, J., Hunt, J., Osborn, R., & Uhl-Bien, M. (2010). Organizational Behavior (11th ed.). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons Inc.