When one looks at Craigview police department case, several motivational issues can be noted. Notably, police officers are helped by the agency to make their work easier and more efficient. From what the article says, the officers work for ten hours per shift and perform several activities. The ventures are maintaining law and order, assisting the residents and visitors of the town, and providing traffic control services. On this note, they are motivated to perform these duties efficiently. They are provided with patrol cars that are equipped with several features that help them in patrol. The features include a mobile data computer, an in-car digital video, and E-citation equipment.

Apart from that, the officer in charge of patrol is always analyzing new and emerging technology to establish the best options that would enable the officers to improve their work. The police department also offers regular training to its officers to help them enhance their skills in law enforcement and service to the members of the public. However, despite all these efforts to motivate officers to carry out their duties correctly, some members of the force do not feel enthusiastic about the job. The two officers are almost retiring. Therefore, it looks like they are just waiting for the reserved time for them to go away. They do not feel motivated like the other officers in the department.

Basic Need Drives For Each Officer

According to the case, the Craigview police department has 30 staff members working full-time. They include six sergeants and 24 sworn officers. Apart from that, the department has volunteers, who are members of the public, assisting the officers occasionally. The officers work in shifts of ten hours. Their roles include maintaining law and order in the community, providing services to the residents and visitors of the town, and control of traffic. Apart from that, officers also engage in a criminal investigation. Therefore, each officer needs some of the basic equipment and skills to enable them to carry out their duties well. For instance, they require proper training and exposure to real life situations so that when they encounter such issues while performing their duties, they know what action to take.

On top of that, the officers need to be regularly updated on emerging trends in criminal behavior so that they could be in a better position of addressing any issue that may arise. They need to be taken on regular training initiatives to keep them updated and renew their skills. Observing the two officers who are about to retire, they are no longer enthusiastic, probably because their methods are outdated and they feel as if the younger officers have overtaken them in criminal investigations and law enforcement. Apart from that, since insecurity in Craigsview is reportedly increasing, the officers need to be equipped with things like communication and security equipment. They include radio-calls, Tasers, guns, and handcuffs. The items will enable them to handle crime and fight off criminals effectively.

Management Style and How It Relates To Theory X

In essence, theory X involves motivation of employees based on pessimistic assumptions on the employee (Gürbüz, Şahin&Köksal, 2014). For instance, the manager always believes that the employee is inferior to him. Apart from that, the manager believes that they cannot perform well unless they are regularly monitored and pushed to carry out their duties. On this note, the manager is constantly around when the employees are at work so that he or she can monitor things directly (Quratulain& Khan, 2015). The type of management is useful in a situation where employees are not motivated to work and need to be reminded of their responsibilities at all times.

Officer Lou’s management style entails close contact and interaction with the officers that he leads. He is lively at all times, and the officers can approach him and talk to him about any issue. He keeps a low biography and is not harsh on his officers, as a result of this; he gets along well with everyone at the department, including his juniors and seniors. However, this leadership style does not conform to the theory X of management. The leadership style goes against the principles of theory X. In as far as the two retiring officers are concerned, Lou needs to be more assertive and push them to carry out their activities like the other officers.

Effects of the Level of Formal Education

From the profile of officer Lou described in the case, he does not have advanced education. It is also possible that other officers have not attained higher levels of formal education. Notably, the level of formal education could present problems in management (Sallis, 2014). Individuals may not have the right attitude and life skills to carry out their duties effectively.

They may encounter obstacles in the way they approach their communication issues and interactions with other people. Apart from that, the level of formal education determines the level of thinking capacity, decision-making, and problem-solving activities. The activities are essential in the police service because they enable one to make the right decisions. Therefore, lack of a proper formal education could be a hindrance for effective interaction between Officer Lou and his officers.

References

Gürbüz, S., Şahin, F., &Köksal, O. (2014).Revisiting of Theory X and Y: A multilevel analysis of the effects of leaders’ managerial assumptions on followers’ attitudes. Management Decision, 52(10), 1888-1906.doi.org/10.1108/MD-06-2013-0357

Quratulain, S., & Khan, A. K. (2015). Red tape, resigned satisfaction, public service motivation, and negative employee attitudes and behaviors: Testing a model of moderated mediation. Review of Public Personnel Administration, 35(4), 307-332.doi/abs/10.1177/0734371X13511646

Sallis, E. (2014). Total quality management in education. Routledge.