Edward Brown, M.S.
Richard Dawkins posited in The Selfish Gene, “Be warned that if you
wish, as I do, to build a society in which individuals cooperate generously and
unselfishly towards a common good, you can expect little help from biological
nature. Let us try to teach generosity
and altruism, because we are born selfish.” (p.3) Dawkins’ premise is that the
biological need for our DNA to preserve itself for future generations is at the
heart our selfishness. Although Dawkins talked about selfishness in
biology, a similar need exists socially and culturally. Any discussion involving police morale has to
take into consideration the selfish or self-interests of police personnel. In the last sixty-years, theories within
employee motivation have attempted to align employee motivation with
organizational development.
Unfortunately, this purported alignment has been at the hands of researchers
and consultants, not organizational leaders who have the most to gain or lose
with employee motivation.
Edward Brown, M.S., of Core Edge
Police Professional Development provides answers to questions on the validity
and viability of the Selfish Gene Theory on police morale.
Q: In your interpretation of
Dawkins’ Selfish Gene Theory, What does it mean for police morale?
Brown: Essentially, it means that the mission of
police departments cannot be effectively manifested unless the selfish interests
of employees are satisfied.
Q: This seems to fly in the face
of the structure of paramilitary organizations. How can departmental discipline
be maintained without strict order to accomplishing a mission?
Brown: In this context,
selfishness is not encouraging chaos or disorder, but aligning the
self-interest of the employee with the mission of the police department. During
the hiring process, besides examining the background and credibility of the
applicant, recruiters should be negotiating the self-interests of the applicant
with benchmarks for achieving departmental goals. What’s most important to the applicant upon
hiring? Money? Days off? Career development? By striking a deal upon hiring an
applicant, the environment has already been established for achieving
satisfaction within the department upon meeting certain measurable goals. Consequently, each employee has a roadmap to
follow which becomes part of a police department’s growth trajectory. With this thinking, police departments begin
operating as businesses, specializing in human capital.
Q: How does this compare to
what’s currently being practiced?
Brown: If in the future, I want
to become a chief of police, what is the process? How about a major? A captain?
It is understood that there are a limited number of available slots for
supervisors. But, if my interest is career development, are there opportunities
for me to lead? Can I assume special projects that I’m passionate about that
will positively affect the department’s mission? In a 30-year career, are there sufficient
opportunities for police personnel to be transferred easily to stay fresh in
learning new skills to stave off burnout? The police human resources department
would have to do more monitoring of assignments commensurate with the stated
goals of the employee; insuring that the self-interest of the employee aligning
with departmental goals is continuously flowing. How about after 5 years of service, a human
resources manager calls an employee into his office and says, “When you got
hired 5 years ago, you stated that you wanted more leadership opportunities. Have
you been offered those opportunities? Have you taken advantage of these
opportunities afforded to you? If not, why not?” For the first time, morale
becomes a shared responsibility between the department and employee.
Q: Sounds idealistic, but doable.
What are the pitfalls?
Brown: Well, as I stated earlier,
the human resources department would need more personnel to monitor this
progressive system. Given the restraints on police budgets, hiring new human resources employees might
be challenging. Also, employees under the traditional system whose
self-interest was never considered might not be optimistic or willing to
participate. They may opt to merely
co-exist until it’s time to retire. Lastly, department leaders may have a
challenging time buying into how assignments are delegated and the value of
considering the self-interest of employees for organizational development.
Q: That sounds about right. If
the current system has worked, why change it?
Brown: Has it worked? It worked
moderately 25 years ago when I joined the Atlanta Police Department. Now we
have the Millennial Generation assuming control soon, the Internet requiring dedicated
and enthusiastic officers willing to go to the ends of the earth to catch
cybercriminals, and a disloyal workforce who have experienced a mountain of
political and financial scandals in the last 40 years. Unless police departments respond effectively
to current challenges, they will be limping into the 22nd century resembling
a scene from “Escape From New York.”
Q: People who make money off of
talking about the problems within police departments seem to always have
visions of doom. You all seem to make
the problem appear more severe than what it really is. Do police leaders share
your gloom and doom outlook?
Brown: Great point. Police
departments have two (2) things that have traditionally worked for them: 1.) A
monopoly and 2.) Guaranteed revenue through tax dollars. Police departments don’t
have to compete directly against another police department within its jurisdiction
for services. And departmental revenue does not rely on the buying power of
local citizens, like retail stores. However,
citizens are changing the game by annexing themselves from larger cities by incorporating
into new ones. With these new cities,
come new police departments. So the traditional monopoly is broken and old tax
dollars are funneled into the new government.
Where are these new police supervisors and police officers coming from?
They are being poached from existing police departments for better pay, more
opportunities, and heightened enthusiasm. Therefore, citizens operating in their own self-interest
for better police services are creating new governments. In politics, there is
an old saying that there are no permanent friends or permanent enemies, only permanent
interests. Addressing employee self-interest is in the best interest of police
departments.
For more information on morale
building strategies for your department, visit: The A-Team: How to Be a Top
Police Department in Recruiting, Training & Retaining Employees. Available now at:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00HFZO2V6
Reference(s)
Dawkins, R. (1989). The Selfish Gene. New York: Oxford
University Press.
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