May 1999 Volume 80 Number 5 "serving the protectors"
Is There Really a Police Morale Problem?
By Karen Beck, PhD. Senior Research Officer

Morale low in police department”. “Police rosters to hit morale”. “Police pay dispute: Morale plummets”. It seems that the media is constantly finding stories about morale in police organizations – and almost without exception, morale is said to be low.

Most police would, at least, have discussed morale with their mates at some stage during their careers. And, in general, we respond with a gut reaction. But what is our gut reaction based on? Sound like a strange question? Just think about it for a minute... what is your “morale”?

Morale defined

This was the first question that Dr Carlene Wilson wanted to answer when, in 1991, the National Police Research Unit (now the Australasian Centre for Policing Research) was asked to identify ways to fix the problem with morale in general duties areas when compared with specialist areas. Looking at earlier studies of worker attitudes, Dr Wilson found that morale had been defined as “an attitude of satisfaction with, desire to continue in, and willingness to strive for the goals of a particular group or organization”.

More recently, research has found that the way people look at the work itself (i.e. the job) is also important. So, by definition, morale has two components: response (satisfaction and commitment) and focus (work group, organization and job). Therefore, it is possible to measure morale by measuring a person’s satisfaction with and commitment to their work group, organization and job.

In a study conducted in SAPOL during 1991, Dr Wilson found that police officers were very satisfied with and committed to their work group and the work that they did, but somewhat less satisfied with and committed to the organization.

Interestingly, there were no differences between general duties officers and members of the CIB; everyone seemed to enjoy what they did and the people they did it with, but they were not happy with the organization. (Research has shown that people tend to equate “the organization” with “management”.) So what? No surprises there, most experienced police officers would think. Besides, it doesn’t really matter that no-one is happy with the organization: people do the work anyway, and most do it well.

Consequences of poor organizational commitment

Research over a long period in many different organizations has revealed that low levels of commitment to the organization (organizational commitment) are linked to low levels of job satisfaction. In other words, people who are negative about the organization are also less positive about their work.

Moreover, low levels of commitment are related to low levels of individual and organizational performance and high rates of absenteeism, tardiness, and turnover. More critically, recent research in both the US and Australia has found that employees who are very committed to their work group and work but less committed to their organization are more likely to act unethically and ignore or condone the unethical behaviour of their co-workers.

Interestingly, Dr Wilson’s original finding did not stand alone. Other researchers have found similar low levels of commitment in police departments in Western Australia, Victoria, and New South Wales. Accordingly, it was important that we examined how and why organizational commitment became so low in Australian police departments and, subsequently, what could be done to optimize commitment.

The Australasian Centre for Policing Research studies

These questions were the foundation to a series of studies that were conducted at the ACPR from 1994 to 1997. During that time, surveys were sent to:

• 1,200 experienced Australian police officers.
• 600 experienced New Zealand police officers.
• 20 police recruits.
• 3,000 Australian non-sworn police staff.

Some of the studies’ key findings include:

• Police recruits report very high levels of commitment (about six on a seven-point scale). However, these levels decrease rapidly as soon as they are exposed to “real policing”, and continue to decrease with experience in the police organization. The levels of commitment reported by experienced police officers in Australia (with up to 20 years’ experience) are low when compared with police officers in New Zealand (about three on the seven-point scale). See chart.
• The commitment levels of non-sworn police staff with university degrees are low, and remain low independent of their length of service. The commitment levels of non-sworn police staff who do not have degrees follow a similar trend to that of the police officers.
• For the recruits, the decrease in commitment resulted from exposure to police work (particularly where their interaction with the community was not as positive as they had expected) and the organizational commitment “norm” they found in their more experienced co-workers.
• All police employees were more committed to the organization if they felt (i) they had an investment in the organization that would be lost if they left (e.g. status, superannuation, friendships with co-workers) and (ii) they were valued and supported by the organization. The most common examples of lack of support were lack of advocacy from senior management against unsubstantiated allegations in the media, lack of communication (especially about career development and promotion), and lack of recognition of performance and experience.

In reality, different things signal organizational support for different people. For example, some people felt that being given financial support for external education (career development) would improve their commitment, whereas others felt that the provision of child care facilities would indicate that the organization valued their contribution. Officers in supervisory positions felt that the organization should recognize their experience and include them in decision-making, whereas officers in non-supervisory positions felt that the organization should improve their working conditions and provide better equipment.

Managing for commitment

These findings helped to generate a number of recommendations about how police managers might begin to address the issue of morale in their sphere of influence. These include:

• Ensuring that trainees are exposed to peer groups with high levels of satisfaction and commitment and have some positive interaction with the public.
• Identifying and modifying policies and procedures that are equated with lack of support.
• Generating a more interactive management environment through improved feedback and communication.

The unifying principle underlying these recommendations is that there are unwritten contracts between management and staff that must be honoured. In theory, when management understands, values, and provides for the needs of its staff, its staff recognize this and respond with loyalty and a willingness to “go the extra mile”.

However, the development of these contracts will require compromise from both parties. Management must identify and value the things that are important to the individual employee, rather than concentrating only on enforcing policy and procedure, and thereby increasing output.

According to the authors of No fear management: Rebuilding trust, performance, and commitment in the new American workplace, present managers - and people who aspire to management positions - must recognize that “fear-based management is obsolete” and that they must “redefine and reinvent themselves and their relationships with the people around them” to enhance trust in the organization.

Individual employees must recognize the constraints within which management works (such as procedural, political, financial, or logistical restraints) and the conflicting priorities that demand management attention (such as the needs of an individual employee versus the needs of the work team as a whole).

Achieving a balance in this relationship will generate a sense of community (in which trust and understanding exist between management and staff), rather than disempowerment (in which distrust results in conflict), within police organizations. As a result, experienced officers and non-sworn staff will not only be committed to their jobs and their work groups but also the organization. Consequently, the environment into which trainees and probationary constables enter will be far more positive, and may reduce the shock of real police work.

This research has demonstrated that “morale” is a complex issue. In reality, there are certain experiences that cause people to feel either positive or negative about policing. Recognizing which of these things has most influenced attitudes is the first step to being able to do something constructive about the problem. The generation and fulfillment of unwritten contracts can only begin when negative perceptions and cynicism are put aside, enabling meaningful dialogue between management and staff about concrete concerns.

ACPR reports relative to these studies are available from the SAPOL library and the Australasian Centre for Policing Research (8363 3033).

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