Supervisory behaviour and team performance amongst police patrol sergeants

Abstract

This study examined the generality of Komaki's operant model of supervision (Komaki, 1986; Komaki, Zlotnik & Jensen 1986; Komaki, Desselles & Bowman, 1989) in an organizational setting characterized by a formal chain of command. Ratings of subordinate performance were used to index supervisory effectiveness. Using the Operant Supervisory Taxonomy and Index, measures of supervisory behaviour were obtained from 20 police patrol sergeants over a period of several months. Compared with supervisors in other settings, police sergeants spent less time providing antecedents (i.e. instructions, rules, goals) and consequences (i.e. feedback), and more time monitoring subordinates' performance. Sergeants of higher performing teams spent more time monitoring performance and providing neutral performance consequences. In contrast with earlier findings, monitoring via work sampling was not related to subordinate performance. Performance was, however, related to the time supervisors spent soliciting self‐reports from subordinates, and the time they allocated to those solitary activities which provided more opportunities for monitoring subordinates' performance. The findings were consistent with Komaki et al. 's (1986) operant conceptualization of how supervisors motivate their subordinates.