Control Strategy

The primary objective in my new position is to establish a strong, hierarchical system of bureaucratic control. The myriad of problems in this police department stem from a lack of control from the top down. The systems in place are either inadequate or non-existent and the rule of law does to appear to be present among the workforce. The first step is to establish the hierarchy of authority. This serves two main functions. It establishes a chain of accountability. The previous chief did not hold his staff accountable for digressions, be they in terms of the budget or in terms of their behavior. The second function is that is provides the means for the establishment of rules, codes, documentation and other vital mechanisms of bureaucratic control. These mechanisms will provide for improved day-to-day functionality, will reinforce the power hierarchy and will provide for the means to manage staff behavior.

The intention of establishing bureaucratic control is to implement these mechanisms. Thus, after the power hierarchy is established the control mechanism will be put into place. These mechanisms will have several roles. One is to stem the tide of bad behavior. A clear code of conduct will set forth the rules; the rules will be enforced by a clear code of punishment. It is important in a bureaucratic control system to establish expectations of the workers, and then have a clear-cut means by which to assess their performance against those expectations. Failure and deviations are therefore easily defined and the actions to address these behaviors easily prescribed. This will allow me as chief to gain control of the department. It will provide me with recourse to eliminate problem behaviors and implement the structures needed to manage staff behavior. The problems of old stemmed from the inability to manage staff behavior. By establishing a strong hierarchy, I will be able to establish firm control mechanisms that will be used to control behavior.

Works Cited

Barnat, Ryszard. (2005). Bureaucratic Control. Strategic Control. Retrieved December 1, 2008 at http://www.strategic-control.24xls.com/en111

Nieminen, Anu & Lehtonen, Mikko. (2008). Organizational control in programme teams: an empirical study in change programme context. International Journal of Project Management Vol 26, No. 1 pp.63-72.