SUPERVISORY BEHAVIOR AND TEAM PERFORMANCE AMONGST POLICE PATROL SERGEANTS

This study examined the generality of Komaki's operant model of superv ision (Komaki, 1986; Komaki, Zlotnik & jensen 1986; Komaki, Desselles & Bowman, 1989) in an organizational setting characterized by a formal chain of command. Ratings of subordinate performance were used to ind ex supervisory effectiveness. Using the Operant Supervisory Taxonomy a nd Index, measures of supervisory behaviour were obtained from 20 poli ce patrol sergeants over a period of several months. Compared with sup ervisors in other settings, police sergeants spent less time providing antecedents (i.e. instructions, rules, goals) and consequences (i.e. feedback), and more time monitoring subordinates' performance. Sergean ts of higher performing teams spent more time monitoring performance a nd providing neutral performance consequences. In contrast with earlie r findings, monitoring via work sampling was not related to subordinat e performance. Performance was, however, related to the time superviso rs spent soliciting self-reports from subordinates, and the time they allocated to those solitary activities which provided more opportuniti es for monitoring subordinates' performance. The findings were consist ent with Komaki et al.'s (1986) operant conceptualization of how super visors motivate their subordinates.