Perceived effective leadership of criminal investigations in Norwegian police districts

Abstract

Effective leadership is considered an important prerequisite for organizational performance. The purpose of this study was to investigate which leadership values are perceived as beneficial to the quality of criminal investigations among investigative employees in Norway. A sample of 89 investigators, principal investigators and chiefs of police from 27 police districts in Norway was interviewed using a SWOT-based approach. Statements on leadership were extracted from transcribed material and mapped onto the Competing Values Model to examine the preferred leadership values in the sample. Thematic analysis was chosen as the method of analysis. Results indicated that that the Human Relations quadrant was perceived as more important for the quality of investigations than the other quadrants, and the Rational Goal quadrant being more important than the Internal Process and Open Systems quadrants. The preferred leadership values found in this study were found to be consistent across all employee levels. Overall results indicate that a leadership style that incorporates both Human Relations and Rational Goal values, but with an emphasis on the interpersonal factors, is perceived to be the most effective for the investigative context. The results of this study support the findings of other studies of leadership on police officers, provide a deeper understanding of effective leadership among police officers in Norway, and may have practical implications in guiding leadership selection and development initiatives in the Norwegian police.