Leadership, Organizational Behavior, Integrity, and Policing: Advancing Theory and Evidence in High-Demand Public Safety Contexts
Dear Colleagues,
I am organizing a symposium proposal for the 2026 Academy of Management (AOM) Conference that aims to bring together dispersed but growing research on leadership, HRM, integrity, and organizational behavior in policing. While policing represents a highly consequential and complex organizational context, empirical studies within police organizations are scattered across divisions (and sessions) of the Academy (conference). This symposium seeks to build a scholarly network of policing researchers and stimulate ongoing collaboration and theory development in this critical domain.
The symposium will highlight empirical research involving police employees, supervisors, leaders, and top executives, addressing the unique demands, constraints, and opportunities of organizational life in policing. We welcome diverse theoretical and methodological approaches.
I encourage submissions that address (but are not limited to) the following themes:
Leadership & Top Management in Policing
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Leadership styles and their consequences (e.g., transformational, ethical, empowering, servant leadership).
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Top management leadership, strategic decision-making, and organizational change.
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Positive leadership approaches (e.g., PERMA Lead), resilience-building, and well-being in policing.
Integrity, Ethical Climate & Compliance
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Integrity management, ethics training, and compliance structures in policing.
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Drivers and barriers of ethical behavior in frontline and leadership roles.
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Misconduct prevention, whistleblowing structures, internal investigations, and organizational responses.
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Effects of ethical or unethical climates on performance, trust, and legitimacy.
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The interplay of leadership, culture, and compliance systems in shaping professional conduct.
Human Resource Management & Organizational Practices
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Personnel selection, recruitment challenges, and diversification in policing.
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Performance evaluation, competency frameworks, and promotion practices.
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Training and professional development-particularly in emotionally demanding or morally injurious areas (e.g., child pornography investigation).
Organizational Behavior, Climate & Culture
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Emotional labor, burnout, PTSD, and occupational health.
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Error management culture, learning from critical incidents, and organizational resilience.
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Subcultures within police units and their implications for behavior and performance.
Policing Work & Citizen Interaction
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Use of force, de-escalation strategies, and interactional dynamics in high-risk encounters.
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Procedural justice and trust-building with citizens and communities.
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Behavioral patterns and decision-making in operational settings.
I invite conceptual, quantitative, qualitative, experimental, mixed-method, and field-based studies. Contributions connecting the policing context to broader organizational theories in leadership, OB, HRM, and ethics are particularly encouraged.
I am currently seeking two to three additional contributors to join the symposium proposal. If you are interested, please submit a brief summary of your paper (approx. one page) by Friday, December 19.
For questions or submissions, please contact:
andrea.fischbach@dhpol.de
I look forward to your contributions and to strengthening the network of policing researchers within the Academy of Management.
Best regards,
Andrea Fischbach
German Police University
Department of Leadership, Management, and Public Governance
Social, Work, and Organizational Psychology
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Andrea Fischbach
Professor
German Police University
Münster
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