Abstract:
Research has shown that job satisfaction and organizational commitment has a strong correlation with employee productivity. Law enforcement is no different regarding this relationship between job satisfaction, commitment and job performance. In the profession of law enforcement, a lack of employee motivation can create detrimental results. When police officers fail to meet the standards of their specific roles, not only can this create dangerous implications for the citizens they serve, but it can also create even more risks for themselves and their co-workers. Policing is a profession that is inherently dangerous, and this enhances the importance of management constantly working toward creating a culture that motivates those serving their communities through the profession of law enforcement. Several factors that impact the level of police officer job satisfaction have been researched, but there has not been a substantial amount of data collected on the impact of a police chief’s leadership style and the level of job satisfaction of officers.
This study will examine police chief leadership styles and explore which style of leadership results in the highest level of police officer job satisfaction in the North Metro Atlanta area. The Multi-Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ 5x) will be used to determine if each police chief surveyed engages in transformational leadership, transactional leadership or passive/avoidant leadership. The MLQ 5x will also be used to measure officer job satisfaction and (extra effort). This research is important as police chiefs need to be aware of how their leadership style impacts the level of police officer job satisfaction.