Examination of Police Professionalism - Organizational and Individual Perspectives

• NCJ Number: 78465
• Author(s): R I Macfarlane
• Date Published: 1981
• Length: 16 pages
• Publication Format: Document
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: Paper presented at the Workshop, 'Police Professionalism in Europe and North America,' April 14, 1981, 1981 National Conference, American Society for Public Administration, Detroit, Michigan.

Annotation

Through a review and critique of research studies from several organizational disciplines including police science and administration, this study analyzes professionalism in policing from two perspectives -- the organizational and the individual.

Abstract

The study was based on data from a large-scale investigation of the literature on police administration. Research has shown that bureaucracy and organizational professionalism are inversely related, although most studies of organizational professionalism in policing measure professionalism using bureaucratic elements. These studies, moreover, have been shown to contain certain methodological weaknesses. Consequently, little knowledge is available concerning the determinants of organizational professionalism in policing. Several recent studies have shown that police officers are beginning to identify themselves as professionals; collectively, they have pushed for greater recognition of their professionalism. Research in other disciplines, however, suggests that this individual professionalism is not always beneficial to the organization, as professional commitment and organizational commitment tend to be unrelated. The socialization process in policing, as in other organizations, promotes professionalism of the individual and the work group. However, such professionalism may induce professional commitment and not necessarily organizational commitment. Tabular data, footnotes, and over 30 references are provided. (Author abstract modified)