Leadership styles of police chiefs and their impact on organizational culture, recruitment, and retention

Miller, Michael Coleman

Item

Leadership styles of police chiefs and their impact on organizational culture, recruitment, and retention

Miller, Michael Coleman

Date

2025-04-11

Abstract

This study explores the impact that the leadership styles of police chiefs have on the culture of their organization as well as officer recruitment and retention. A purposive convenience sample of North Texas chiefs of police was selected for in-depth qualitative interviews. Semi-structured Zoom interviews of thirteen (13) current North Texas chiefs of police were conducted, recorded, and transcribed. The aim of this study was to add to the body of research by examining themes on this topic from a diverse group of chiefs from small to large agencies that operate in rural, suburban, and urban settings. The research found that the leadership styles of chiefs have evolved over time, the influence a chief has on the culture of an agency is dependent on agency size, and the leadership style of the chief and the organizational culture impact recruitment and retention. The research also found that impediments to changing organizational culture also differed with agency size. Finally, chiefs discussed how they changed the organizational culture within their organizations. With recruiting and retention being priorities for every chief of police and the organizational culture playing a significant role in these, the leadership lessons learned from this study should be evaluated further and potentially shared with all chiefs of police.