Operational and Communication Effectiveness, and Leadership Structures in Law Enforcement Organizations

This quantitative descriptive study was to investigate the effectiveness of two law enforcement organizational structures in Texas through the attitudes, values, and beliefs of the participants. The specific problem was centralization of leadership and organizational insensitivity to the environment prevents leaders from making critical situational adaptations. The purpose of this study was to determine if law enforcement organizational structures impede operational effectiveness, communication effectiveness, decisions-making, and leadership structures based on the perceptions of officers from different ranks. The sample for this study consisted of law enforcement officers of various ranks from the El Paso County Sheriff's Office and the Lubbock County Sheriff's Office in the state of Texas. Descriptive statistics and multiple regression were run on data collected from 313 surveys submitted through SurveyMonkey.com website. The results indicate significant differences of perceptions from officers of various ranks and time in service regarding the operational effectiveness, communications, decision-making, leadership structures, and the organizations' ability to adapt to the changing, dynamic environment. Leaders of law enforcement organizations could benefit from an organizational structure, which is conducive to decentralizing decision-making down to the lowest level of supervision. Recommendations for improvements, limitations, and future research are discussed.