Leadership Issues in the Criminal Justice System Case

While any sphere needs competent and effective leaders, the criminal justice system is notable for its specific requirements as chiefs are responsible for making decisions that will affect all populations. They not only have to solve numerous problems but also do their best to improve the system and change the current situation for the better. As a result, choosing a proper leadership style becomes important. This paper examines two letters from Mayor D.L. Plusquellic and Chief of Police J. Nice that are connected with public opinion and the assistance request.

In these letters, the cooperation with the FBI is considered to be a potentially effective solution, and both to this fact asking to change the federal governments policy (Akron Policy Change Request1). In this example, the leadership style of Akrons Mayor and Police Chief is discussed and criticized.

Leadership Styles

First and foremost, one should understand the contents of the term leadership style. Although much work has been done in this sphere and different approaches have been developed and represented in academic sources, there is no unanimous agreement. According to the Lewins framework, one of the most wide-spread classifications, there are democratic, autocratic, and (Harvey 91).

Another conception is transformational leadership. The choice of this type seems advantageous. This preference is explained by the situation in which the mayor and police chief act. As has been mentioned above, both of them are concerned with the recent shooting accidents. Thus, they seek for collaboration with the FBI and want to implement a considerable change that is likely to affect the whole population and organization and transform the existing order to achieve this goal. In this respect, it is necessary to scrutinize what the transformational leadership model implicates in general and within the criminal justice system.

Transformational leadership has been the object of interest in recent years. A large body of literature pertaining to this type of leadership in different professional spheres exists. Researchers state that this approach emerged as the most significant and influential framework for the present-day leaders (Cleavenger and Munyon 352). It is emphasized that charismatic and inspirational leadership, intellectual stimulation, and individualized consideration are integrated (Wrench and Punyanunt-Carter 300).

Charisma, in the modern sense of this term, implies the star quality (Roe 126). To put it bluntly, a charismatic leader shows the power to be regarded as an exceptional individual by other people. The set of qualities that characterizes a leader includes the traits and abilities associated with power and dominance. Then, in terms of intellectual stimulation, a good leader encourages employees to be creative and open to innovations. Critical thinking skills play a significant role: the values and traditions of an organization are not to be blindly accepted, on the contrary, transformational leaders foster challenging the present regime and finding new opportunities to enhance the performance.

As for the individualized consideration, an ideal leader helps each person unlock their potential and apply their knowledge and skills in the . If necessary, a leader should set examples and give tasks on the one-to-one basis to followers to help alter their motivations, aims, and responsibilities as well as to satisfy the current needs of a company (Wrench and Punyanunt-Carter 303). Apart from these characteristics, the recent research promotes trust as the significant factor due to which one can mediate the outcomes of the transformational leadership on staff performance, particularly in teamwork (Chou et al. par. 4).