b'supervisors are able to achieve criticalinfluence,forinstance,fromleadersdifficult,distressed,anduncertain commitment and buy-in from officerswho are perceived to be outsiderstimes. Research shows, however, staff in challenging and demanding situa- or too political, or have been aroundsergeantsandsergeantssituatedat tions by engaging regularly in specificfor too long or not long enough!the frontline are able to quell some leadership activities and by blendingWhy are these impediments particu- of the resistance displayed by officers distinctleadershipapproachestolarly dense in the field of policing?byactingasafacilitatinglayerand achievetheintendedresults.ThisOne explanation relies on the impactcommunicator between senior leader-article adapts and summarizes theseof internal and external occupationalship and the street-level implementer leadershipactivitiesandapproaches(our frontline officers). This important for policing professionals with the goalfactors, which are thought to have anleadershipcontributionofstaffser-ofredirectingleadershipinvestmentinfluence on the decision-making pro- geantsandsergeantsisthekeyto tohigh-priorityandexposedareascesses of police officers. For instance,achievingcommitmentandbuy-in ofpoliceorganizations,specificallytheuniqueauthoritativestructurewhen and where it counts. the frontline.of a police organizationone that is hierarchical,centralized,andsharesWhy is the Frontline ToughWhy is Achieving Commitment acommonframeofreference,lan- to Lead?and Buy-In from the Frontline guage,andassumptionsenvelopsFrontlinepoliceworkisuniqueand a Challenge? athickpoliceculture:acollectionchallenging to lead and supervise. The First, its not just a policing problem!of informal norms and values sharedtasksassignedtoofficersareoften Inallareasofgovernment,whenbypoliceofficersandthebroadercomplex,ambiguous,anddifficult attemptingtorolloutkeypolicypolicingcollective.Thesenormsandtoassessforcorrectness.Tomake decisions and initiatives, leaders oftenvalues promote, socialize, and justifymattersworse,officersoftenfind find themselves struggling to achievetheprevailingattitudesofofficers,themselves juggling conflicting or con-appropriate levels of commitment andwhich at times can be distrustful ortradictory duties or find themselves in buy-in from frontline workers. Specificsuspicious of leadership decisions andsubjective, self-initiated, or discretion-to policing, we often observe a mark- objectives. Clearly, these institutionalary situations. All of these supervisory edly fierce resistance at the frontlineprocessesarenotidealforseniorchallenges make it difficult to provide to new or perceived controversial poli- leaders,whorelyonunwaveringspecific guidance or direction to offi-ciesand/orunwelcomedtop-downcompliance from the frontline duringcers on how to improve themselves. WHEN FRONTLINE SUPERVISORS EMPLOY A SUPPORTIVE LEADERSHIP APPROACH, LEVELS OF COMMITMENT AND BUY-IN FROM OFFICERS TOWARD KEY OBJECTIVESTREND PROPORTIONATELY TO THE AMOUNT OF ENCOURAGEMENT,MOTIVATION, AND REWARD THEY RECEIVE FROM LEADERS.Designing and manufacturing Municipal and Provincial O\x1fences Badges for over 40 years.Call us today to design and customize your Badge. 1.877.661.1103info@strathcraft.comStrathCraft.com The Official Publication of the Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police15'