QUESTION

CRIMINAL JUSTICE   

To support your work, use your course and text readings and also use the South University Online Library. As in all assignments, cite your sources in your work and provide references for the citations in APA format.

“Leadership should be more participative than directive.”—Mary D. Poole

1. Do you agree with this statement? Why?
2. In correctional facilities, how easy or difficult is it for leaders to be participative in their leadership styles?
3. What are the obstacles that stand in the way of participative leaders in prisons?
4. What would be more effective in dealing with a high employee turnover—participative leadership or directive leadership?

Communication

Research in the 􀃖eld of change has presented some interesting facts about organizational change:

Sometimes, change can best be brought about by a consultant. The reason for this is that consultants

are from outside the organization, have an objective viewpoint, and are not suspected of partiality.

The quickest way to get people involved in the change process is by being openly communicative about

the potential need for change. Communicate what you’re doing about it. Communicate what was done

and how it worked out. It has been found to be extremely effective to obtain feedback and suggestions

from employees about any speci􀃖c modi􀃖cations that need to be made.

It is crucial for management to remind themselves about the reasons for change. When change

processes lose sight of the goal, they also lose direction and vigor. Change must be planned. There

should be a clear and concise plan for how change is going to be brought about, what is going to be

done, and how long it might take. Coordination of various activities can be assured by forming teams

and appointing leaders. It is helpful to have one individual leader responsible for all the teams of the

entire change process. This helps reduce confusion and con􀃗ict.

Also important to remember is the necessity of delegating work to teams and employees so that they

feel encouraged, valued, and responsible. While doing all of the above, it is also imperative to always

keep the ultimate goal of the change in mind. When change does occur as planned, it must be

celebrated. All members of an organization must recognize the change, appreciate it, and revel in it.

This boosts the morale of the members.

Organizational Change

Organizational change occurs when an organization attempts to modify completely its structure,

practices, procedures, and way of functioning. It is usually the responsibility of the managers and

leaders in an organization to initiate change. Some leaders are more successful in bringing about

change than others.

Organizational change refers to an entire range of activities that have to do with a speci_c project in an

organization, and that project aims to enhance the overall performance of the organization. Though

the speci_c changes affect the performance of the organization as a whole, they are less general.

Why does organizational change occur? It usually occurs in response to demands within and without

the organization. For instance, in a correctional facility, there is an extremely high turnover because

employees are unhappy with the unethical treatment of inmates. The internal demands of the

organization are caused by the high turnover and the fact that the organization requires a higher

morale among the staff. The external demands of the organization are caused by the negative media

coverage about the correctional facility and the demands of the state to make changes. What are the

best ways to bring about organizational change? Of primary importance is the role of management in

initiating change. They usually do this by being motivated, persistent, and inspiring.

It is also crucial to involve members of the organization in the change process. Management teams that

make decisions to modify policies and practices and then present these changes to organizational

members are not as effective as those that involve everyone in the change process. The truth is that

members of an organization do not value orders and authority, but they do value participating and

involvement. This is because it is important for members to feel responsible for their organization’s

progress. It is this ownership of the organization’s functioning that encourages members to contribute

valuable ideas to the management.

Motivation

An aspect which is very important but dif_cult to apply in criminal justice organizations is motivation.

How would you keep an employee, especially a public service employee, motivated? We presume that

because the employees are involved in public service, they are automatically motivated and their work

is in some way related to the welfare of others. This may be especially true with respect to criminal

justice personnel, who are involved in work that requires them to help other people—prison inmates—

by rehabilitating them and helping them become more productive and responsible members of society.

Many believe that the need to help others is more than enough motivation for employees. But is this

really true? What are the other ways to ensure that public-sector employees are motivated? You will

answer this question addressing some important aspects of motivation. In addition, you will discuss

the importance of team motivation in creating a motivated work environment.

Communication and motivation are closely linked to leadership and supervision. The quality of

leadership has a direct impact on the supervision and evaluation of personnel. Unfortunately, pioneers

in the criminal justice _eld have not yet determined the best way to implement leadership. The nature

of criminal justice organizations is different from that of other organizations in terms of the sensitive

area of work—criminal behavior. In addition, although a lot of information is available about leadership

in criminal justice organizations, there is still ambiguity about what effective leadership involves.

Therefore, leadership in criminal justice organizations has been researched separately.

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