The structure and nature of criminal justice organizations influence to a great extent employee supervision and evaluation in terms of the degree of purpose, complexity, mission and formality (Kania & Davis, 2015). One of the models of employee supervision in criminal justice organizations is the traditional model. Under this model, there is centralization of authority with well-developed policies, chain of command and clear rules. It is mainly characterized by a unity of command, and specialization, span of control and delegation of authority. Moreover, organization diversity which is a common feature of many criminal justice organizations requires the development of creative employee evaluation and supervision.
Advantages of the Traditional Model of Employee Supervision
Centralization and Formalization
This model of criminal justice organization’s employee supervision and evaluation is beneficial in that it emphasizes high degree of centralization of power, authority, and command and role distribution. This ensures that the top management is able to easily monitor the activities and behavior of employees.
Unity of Command and Specialization
Under this model, one individual is in charge of employees within the organization which makes it easy to track employee performance and to ensure personal accountability. This model also enables division of labor within the criminal justice organization, thus making it possible to assess personal contribution of each employee to the realization of the organization’s goals.
Enables Delegation of Authority
The traditional model is advantageous in that it a clear definition of responsibilities and tasks among employees which helps in maintaining organizational integrity.
Disadvantages
One of the criticisms labelled against this model is the lack of clarity on how exactly its use in criminal justice organizations enhances the employee supervision and evaluation process and its relevance to police organizations (Stojkoviv, Kalinich, & Klofas, 2014, p. 229). Moreover, this model of employee supervision has been criticized on the grounds that it may produce authoritarian organizational supervisors. It also reduces the level of criminal justice organization’s employee motivation, hinders easy flow of information and creates a bureaucratic process in the organization so full of protocols that it may not be possible to adequately respond to situations. Hence, this model may be argued to be too complex, too formalized and rigid in terms of administration and management of employees. It may also make criminal justice organizations’ programs such as community policing difficult to run due to its emphasis on centralization and unity of roles and rules (p. 229).
Thus, according to Stojkovic, Kalinich and Klofas (2014), given the current nature of criminal justice organizations and the types of changes they are currently going through, the traditional model may not be the best model as compared to the human service model. Therefore, the traditional model of employee supervision in criminal justice organizations may not be the best choice given the diverse nature of these organizations and the increasing need for decentralization of roles, rules, authority and chains of command for effective administration.
References
Kania, R. R., & Davis, R. P. (2015). Managing criminal justice organizations: An introduction to theory and practice. London & New York: Routledge .
Stojkovic, S., Kalinich, D., & Klofas, J. (2014). Individuals in criminal justice organizations: Personnel evaluation and supervision. In S. Stojkoviv, D. Kalinich, & J. Klofas, Criminal justice organizations: Administration and management (pp. 91-248). Stamford, CT: CENGAGE Learning.
