Police agencies are paramilitary organizations that--at first glance--may not seem to have many lessons for business professionals. However, the issues of leadership and strategy are critical success factors in police organizations just as they are in business, and one can view the public as the police agency's "customers," the command structure as management, and the police commission as the board of directors. Given these parameters, there are lessons to be drawn from the NYPD's approach to policing in the 1990s that may be applicable to business.
There are five key "laws of leadership" that can be gleaned from the NYPD's experience in reorganization during the 1990s: respect for subordinates, devolving authority, accountability, having a clearly articulated vision, and having support from the highest levels of the organization.
Respect for the employee is critical to gaining their support in a reorganization effort. Bratton demonstrated this a the transit police by making sure that new radios and other equipment was procured for officers, a strategy he also followed at the NYPD proper. This demonstrates to the rank and file that their leaders respect them and are interested in ensuring their safety and effectiveness (Case Study A, p. 2).
Leadership does not mean dictatorship. Bratton pushed authority and responsibility down in the organization so that managers at lower levels of the organization had increased decision making power; this extended even to the officer on the street who was given greater latitude in how he or she performed their tasks (Case Study A, p. 9).
Bratton also emphasized accountability among his managers; the Compstat meetings were contentious at first, but also clearly communicated that each level of management was expected to take responsibility for a proactive approach rather than a reactive approach to their jobs. This, in turn, resulted in mini-Compstat meeti
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