ABSTRACT

In this paper, we ascertain whether a practice-based approach can increase our knowledge of police leadership. This approach represents an alternative to normative management models which have dominated the management literature. The normative approach often focuses on how police leaders must lead as well as on the traits and skills of police leaders. In contrast, our focus is on what leaders do and why and, therefore, what constitutes their professional leadership practices. We conducted qualitative explorative studies with Norwegian police leaders in 2016 and 2018. Our data were collected through the following means: a one-day shadowing of 27 police leaders, six weeks of fieldwork, 63 formal interviews of police leaders and a substantial number of informal conversations with police leaders and subordinates. In our analysis of leadership as practice, we recognise the importance of structural, cultural and contextual conditions as well as the emergent and dynamic nature of leadership practices. We identified four important practice dynamics: producing, relating, interpreting/sensemaking and negotiating. These practice dynamics were concerned with the relationships between leader(s) and employees, often characterised by the following. ‘Taking care of each other’ and ‘us against them’ within a leadership practice. Interpretations and sensemaking of the ‘reality’ within practices and production of policing as collective achievements. The language, symbols; artefacts, the police mission in relation to how it belongs/identifies with the practice and the negotiations of police leaders ‘fighting’ for resources (silos). And the continuously creation of manoeuvring spaces in what constitute police leaderś professional practice.

摘要

在本文中，我们确定基于实践的方法是否可以增加我们对警察领导力的了解。这种方法代表了在管理文献中占主导地位的规范管理模型的替代方案。规范方法通常侧重于警察领导人必须如何领导以及警察领导人的特质和技能。相比之下，我们的重点是领导者做什么和为什么做，因此，他们的专业领导实践是由什么构成的。我们在 2016 年和 2018 年对挪威警察领导人进行了定性探索性研究。我们的数据是通过以下方式收集的：对 27 名警察领导人进行为期一天的跟踪调查、六周的实地考察、对警察领导人的 63 次正式采访以及大量非正式的与警察领导和下属的谈话。在我们将领导力作为实践的分析中，我们认识到结构、文化和背景条件以及领导力实践的新兴和动态性质的重要性。我们确定了四个重要的实践动态：生产、关联、解释/意义建构和谈判。这些实践动态与领导者和员工之间的关系有关，通常具有以下特征。在领导实践中“互相照顾”和“我们反对他们”。在作为集体成就的警务实践和生产中对“现实”的解释和意义建构。语言、符号；人工制品，警察使命与它如何属于/认同实践和警察领导人“争取”资源（筒仓）的谈判有关。