PERSON-ROLE FIT IN POLICING - THE CURRENT KNOWLEDGE AND FUTURE RESEARCH (FROM JOB STRESS AND THE POLICE OFFICER IDENTIFYING STRESS REDUCTION TECHNIQUES - PROCEEDINGS, 1975 BY W H KROES, AND J J HURRELL, JR - SEE NCJ-43642)

• NCJ Number: 43651
• Author(s): G KELLING; M A PATE
• Date Published: 1975
• Length: 13 pages
• Corporate Author: Superintendent of Documents, GPO
• Sale Source: Superintendent of Documents, GPO; National Institute of Justice/
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: THE SYMPOSIUM WAS HELD IN CINCINNATI, OHIO ON MAY 8 & 9, 1975, AND CHAIRED BY DR WILLIAM H KROES

Annotation

STUDIES CONCERNED WITH THE CONVERGENCE OF THE INDIVIDUAL'S SKILLS AND PERSONALITY WITH THE CHARACTERISTICS AND REQUIREMENTS OF THE ROLE THE INDIVIDUAL PERFORMS ARE REVIEWED.

Abstract

IT HAS BEEN ASSUMED THAT THE BETTER THE PERSON-ROLE FIT, THE MORE SATISFIED AND PRODUCTIVE THE PERSON WILL BE. A LACK OF FIT HAS BEEN THOUGHT TO BE RESPONSIBLE FOR SUCH PROBLEMS AS STRESS, DISSATISFACTION, BOREDOM, ALIENATION, LOW PRODUCTIVITY, AND, ULTIMATELY, POOR PHYSICAL AND MENTAL HEALTH. THE POSSIBILITY OF A POOR PERSON-ROLE FIT MAY BE DISCOVERED BEFORE A PERSON JOINS AN ORGANIZATION, EITHER BY THE ORGANIZATION IN ITS SCREENING EFFORTS OR BY THE INDIVIDUAL. ONCE A PART OF THE ORGANIZATION, THE INDIVIDUAL MAY RESPOND TO A GROWING PERSON-ROLE MISFIT THROUGH SUCH SELF-INITIATED ACTIONS AS LEAVING THE ORGANIZATION, BECOMING APATHETIC, FORMING UNIONS, OR ATTEMPTING UPWARD MOBILITY. ALTHOUGH THE INDIVIDUAL MAY ADJUST TO THE ROLE REQUIREMENTS THROUGH CHANGES IN PERSONALITY, SUCH SOLUTIONS OFTEN ARE ACCOMPANIED BY UNDESIRABLE BYPRODUCTS. THE DALLAS POLICE DEPARTMENT USES A TASK-SPECIFIC APPROACH TO MATCH RECRUITS TO FUNCTIONS AND IS BEGINNING TO EXAMINE THE FIT BETWEEN PERSONALITY CHARACTERISTICS AND ORGANIZATIONAL ENVIRONMENT. THE KANSAS CITY POLICE DEPARTMENT USES A TASK-ORIENTED APPROACH TO ASSESS CANDIDATES FOR PROMOTION TO SUPERVISORY POSITIONS. A STUDY OF WORK ORIENTATION AND ATTITUDE IN POLICE OFFICERS FOUND THAT MOST ATTITUDES APPEAR TO BE THE PRODUCT OF A COMBINATION OF VARIABLES FROM BOTH THE WORK AND THE NONWORK MILIEU. A SECOND STUDY FOUND THAT BACKGROUND FACTORS HELD LITTLE EXPLANATORY VALUE WITH REGARD TO JOB SATISFACTION AMONG POLICE OFFICERS. RESEARCH SEEMS TO INDICATE THAT CERTAIN ASPECTS OF POLICE WORK ARE STRESSFUL. HOWEVER, LITTLE IS KNOWN ABOUT THE CAUSES AND EFFECTS OF STRESS OR ABOUT THE OUTCOMES OF PROGRAMS DESIGNED TO ISOLATE AND DEAL WITH STRESS. CONSIDERABLE THEORETICAL AND EMPIRICAL RESEARCH REMAINS TO BE DONE. A LIST OF REFERENCES IS INCLUDED.