A darker shade of blue: From public servant to professional deviant; Law enforcement\u27s special operations culture

Abstract The culture of law enforcement is an all or nothing proposition with no gray area where membership into this society is concerned. You are either “on the job” or you are not. Even references among officers to “the job” indicate there is only one job. Likened to a secret handshake, that initial phrase if answered correctly opens the door to instant fraternal acceptance, get out of violation passes, and the many other assumed privileges of brotherhood. Manning (1980) describes the powerful mystification of policing as the “sacred canopy”. He further asserts that “the police role conveys a sense of sacredness or awesome power that lies at the root of political order, and authority, the claims a state makes upon its people for deference to rules, laws and norms” (Manning, 1980, p. 21). These elements make policing unique to all other American occupations. The sacredness of the profession creates social autonomy protected by the officers’ code of silence. Operating in this vacuum apart from public accountability fosters an environment for behavior outside of laws the institution is charged with enforcing. My research shows the process of occupational socialization ushers officers into a state of becoming blue, or the enculturation of expectant behavior and actions. I confirm that assignments into the Special Operations Group (SOG) facilitate a subculture separate and apart from the institutional ideals (Librett, 2006) and encourage a darkening of the shade of blue identifying officers with a labeling of deviance. While previous research identifies the code of silence as a by-product of the policing culture, my research identifies it as fundamental for maintaining the covenant of the dark blue fraternity

A darker shade of blue: From public servant to professional deviant; Law enforcement\u27s special operations culture

Abstract The culture of law enforcement is an all or nothing proposition with no gray area where membership into this society is concerned. You are either “on the job” or you are not. Even references among officers to “the job” indicate there is only one job. Likened to a secret handshake, that initial phrase if answered correctly opens the door to instant fraternal acceptance, get out of violation passes, and the many other assumed privileges of brotherhood. Manning (1980) describes the powerful mystification of policing as the “sacred canopy”. He further asserts that “the police role conveys a sense of sacredness or awesome power that lies at the root of political order, and authority, the claims a state makes upon its people for deference to rules, laws and norms” (Manning, 1980, p. 21). These elements make policing unique to all other American occupations. The sacredness of the profession creates social autonomy protected by the officers’ code of silence. Operating in this vacuum apart from public accountability fosters an environment for behavior outside of laws the institution is charged with enforcing. My research shows the process of occupational socialization ushers officers into a state of becoming blue, or the enculturation of expectant behavior and actions. I confirm that assignments into the Special Operations Group (SOG) facilitate a subculture separate and apart from the institutional ideals (Librett, 2006) and encourage a darkening of the shade of blue identifying officers with a labeling of deviance. While previous research identifies the code of silence as a by-product of the policing culture, my research identifies it as fundamental for maintaining the covenant of the dark blue fraternity

Strategies Certified Project Management Professionals Use to Prevent Counterproductive Behavior

Project managers who fail to apply strategies to prevent counterproductive work behavior in information technology projects could negatively affect users, budget costs, timelines, or projects. The purpose of this multiple case study was to explore strategies that project managers used to prevent counterproductive work behavior that put project success at risk. Social learning theory was the conceptual framework for this study. Data were collected through document review of published Project Management Institute (PMI) material as well as semistructured interviews with 10 project managers who were members of a PMI chapter in the southeastern United States, and who held a project management professional certification or an agile certified practitioner certification. Data were analyzed using Yin\u27s methodology and consisted of transcribing, organizing, and coding the interview data, as well as triangulating the interview data in relation to the PMI literature. Five themes emerged from the data: (a) participant communication, (b) proactive planning, (c) personal impact, (d) participant engagement, and (e) issue management. The implications of the study for positive social change include the potential to increase the occurrence of conflict-free and healthy project environments, which could lead to satisfied and motivated project participants resulting in productive and engaged members of the community

Organizational Misconduct within the National Collegiate Athletic Association

Prior research on organizational misconduct within intercollegiate athletics focuses on the penalties administered by the NCAA and types of violations committed by member institutions, rather than the engagement of misconduct and the role of the NCAA as a social-control agent. Consequently, the purpose of this dissertation is to analyze the relationship between social-control agents and potential wrongdoers (i.e., organizations), in addition to how the relationship affects the evolving line separating right from wrong. A three-paper multiple method examination has been conducted, including a historical analysis of NCAA enforcement, a qualitative framing analysis on the detailing of NCAA major infractions to the public, and a quantitative analysis on the likelihood of sanctions as a result of engaging in organizational misconduct. The historical chapter advances literature on social-control agents by investigating the concept of organizational layering which takes place when third-party regulators examine cases of organizational misconduct. The qualitative chapter expands literature on framing theory, specifically the analysis on the different framing techniques utilized by social control agents and media members when present cases of organizational misconduct to the public. The quantitative chapter consists of a two-stage probit regression model which found evidence that the type of violations committed in major violation cases are significant in determining the likelihood of sanctions. This study will contribute to intercollegiate athletic administration by providing an opportunity to better comprehend NCAA enforcement procedures, along with utilizing the findings to discover how the NCAA functions as a social-control agent

FROM PREDATOR TO PREY: THE EDIFICATION OF STIGMA MANAGEMENT IN THE SMALL-DOLLAR LOAN INDUSTRY

In this dissertation, I focus on how entrepreneurs in a stigmatized industry – the Small-Dollar, or “Payday” Loan industry – manage industry stigma and evaluate the extent to which they employ strategies to mitigate this stigma. This dissertation is an ethnographic, participatory observation study, where I engage with lenders as a customer, borrowing and paying back loans from different small-dollar establishments. I find that, in response to being subject to multiple elements of stigma, industry representatives, entrepreneurs, and employees used a variety of strategies, in part, based on the policies initiated against their industry that resulted in different strategies employed to reduce industry stigma. My findings also focus attention on the cross-level nature of stigma management in organizational research, and its enactment between organizations and its effects on a key audience, customers, who also experience the industry’s stigma. The combination of these findings expands theoretical understanding of entrepreneurship in highly contested and uncertain domains, by integrating research from the stigma literature to offer a nuanced perspective of the process and outcomes of industry stigma

Language as a means of social control and resistance: discourse analysis in a prison setting

This study is concerned with the linguistic analysis of a cognitive training programme for offenders which was run at Prison X in 1996. Several Cognitive Skills classes run by prison officers and attended by groups of five to eight prisoners were videotaped and analysed to investigate the discourse practices used in these sessions. I also explored the written discourse of the Cognitive Skills Handbook used by the offenders as a reference-text for running the classes. In my research, I have borrowed insights from Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA), particularly Fairclough's three-dimensional model of discourse, as it forms a framework for studying language in its relation to power and ideology. I have attempted to show through this case study that the discursive practices investigated are ideological in that they produce and reproduce unequal power relations in the way they represent and classify offenders. Following the Hallidayan tradition, I have taken a systemic functional approach as my point of departure for the analysis and interpretation of texts

How Same-Sex Spouses of Female Enlisted Soldiers Perceive Support in Military Communities Post-DADT/DOMA Repeals

The end of the Vietnam War heralded the beginning of the all-volunteer Army. In the interest of soldier retention, research focused on the military spouse, their challenges and needs. Four decades of research indicate that soldier deployments, separation from loved ones, and limited career options were among factors negatively impacting psychological and physiological well-being of this population. Support offered through military formal and informal support networks, however, provides some relief. The repeals of Don\u27t Ask, Don\u27t Tell and Defense of Marriage Act expanded the military family to include same-sex spouses yet a review of the literature revealed no research on this relatively new phenomenon. This hermeneutic phenomenological study explored how same-sex spouses of enlisted female soldiers perceive support in their military communities. Presented are findings of semi structured interviews conducted with 12 spouses of active duty enlisted female soldiers recruited using purposive and snowball sampling. Spouses shared their experiences by answering 8 open-ended questions. Research credibility and validity included verbatim transcription and member checking for accuracy, reflexive journaling, audit trail maintenance, and data saturation; manual coding and NVivo11 identified emergent themes and subthemes. Data revealed spouses faced additional stressors due to their sexual minority status, and perceived rejection from support resources created feelings of alienation and isolation. This research represents the first foundational study of this minority group in this setting. Social implications include a deeper understanding of these spouses by unit commanders, chaplaincies, informal support groups, health care providers, and other military agencies in order that these may improve existing, or create additional, support networks and services

Preparing students for post-secondary success : exploring the efficacy of an information technology certification program.

Career and Technical Education (CTE) has a long and rich history of achievement among diverse populations. Two recent events have added to the complexity of CTE. First, the accountability movement forces traditional programs to show growth and achievement with students. Accountability trends affect the content and delivery of almost all programs. Perhaps more significantly, measureable performance is increasingly becoming tied into program funding with CTE programs. Second, while CTE in general has enjoyed a long history in secondary education, an emerging subcomponent is gaining attention. Information Technology (IT) classes have been present in secondary institutions for over 30 years. Business, industry, and government organizations, however, have been actively searching for more standardized programs that deliver a full supply of highly skilled, IT capable individuals. Over 1000 IT certifications exist, many available at the secondary level (Randell & Zirkle, 2005). Traditionally, most IT training has occurred in technical and other post-secondary academic institutions. Recent pressures, however, are forcing certification requirements downward to secondary institutions. Career and college readiness standards, as well as national, state, and local accountability initiatives are influencing many aspects of high school certification programs. Little is known, however, about the short and long term effectiveness of these programs and with what populations. It is the purpose of this study to examine the primary and secondary effects of IT certification curricula on the self efficacy of a diverse sample of high school IT certification students.

Work engagement and job performance in military contexts: The moderator role of Individual Orientation to Collectivism (IOC)

This thesis examined the moderating role of individual orientation to collectivism in the relationship between work engagement and job performance in military contexts. We began by describing the work engagement and job performance literature and the relationship between them. To address the question of how and when would work engagement of military be associated with higher levels of job performance, we developed two studies. The first study was qualitative and pretended to analise what characterized a good performer in the military, as well as the strategies that militaries use to enhance their performance. Results of Study 1, with interviews to 25 staff officers or senior military leaders in active service from different military organizations, showed that although there are some similarities with the job performance model that Campbell (1990, 2012) used to describe job performance, there are some singularities of the military context. Namely, a focus on the collective had been identified as a salient factor of job performance in military contexts. Thus, we conducted a second study using a multi-source cross –sectional design with 150 military staff officers and their supervisors (N=33). In that study, we analysed the impact of individual orientation to collectivism for the relationship between staff officers’ work engagement and job performance (reported by the supervisor) in a military context. The results demonstrated that staff officers’ work engagement was positively associated with their job performance (reported by their supervisor) only when they had higher levels of orientation to collectivism. According to the results of the two studies, we argue that in order to improve individual job performance in military contexts, military managers should invest on staff officers’ orientation to collectivism by training them and reinforcing that orientation through socialization practices.Esta tese examinou o papel moderador da orientação individual para o coletivismo na relação entre o work engagement e o desempenho no trabalho em contextos militares. Começámos por descrever a literatura do work engagement e do desempenho no trabalho e a relação entre estes. Para abordar a questão de como e quando o work engagement dos militares está associado a níveis mais elevados de desempenho no trabalho, desenvolvemos dois estudos. O primeiro estudo foi qualitativo e pretendeu analisar o que caracterizava um bom desempenho militar, bem como as estratégias que os militares usam para melhorar seu desempenho. Os resultados do Estudo 1, com entrevistas a 25 militares ou líderes militares seniores em serviço ativo, oriundos de diferentes organizações militares, mostraram que embora existam algumas semelhanças com o modelo que Campbell (1990, 2012) usou para descrever o desempenho no trabalho, existem algumas singularidades do contexto militar. Uma destas singularidades é nomeadamente uma maior focalização no coletivo como fator saliente do desempenho no trabalho em contextos militares. Assim, realizámos um segundo estudo usando um desenho cross-sectional com recurso a múltiplas fontes: 150 oficiais e os seus supervisores (N = 33). Nesse estudo, analisámos o impacto que a orientação individual para o coletivismo tem na relação entre o work engagement do oficial e o desempenho no trabalho (relatado pelo seu supervisor). Os resultados mostraram que o work engagement dos oficiais estava positivamente associado ao seu desempenho no trabalho somente quando eles tinham uma maior orientação individual para o coletivismo. De acordo com os resultados dos dois estudos, argumentamos que para melhorar o desempenho individual no trabalho em contextos militares, os gestores militares devem investir na orientação individual dos funcionários para o coletivismo, treinando-os nesse sentido e reforçando essa orientação por meio de práticas de socialização

Causing factors, outcomes, and governance of Shadow IT and business-managed IT: a systematic literature review

Shadow IT and Business-managed IT describe the autonomous deployment/procurement or management of Information Technology (IT) instances, i.e., software, hardware, or IT services, by business entities. For Shadow IT, this happens covertly, i.e., without alignment with the IT organization; for Business-managed IT this happens overtly, i.e., in alignment with the IT organization or in a split responsibility model. We conduct a systematic literature review and structure the identified research themes in a framework of causing factors, outcomes, and governance. As causing factors, we identify enablers, motivators, and missing barriers. Outcomes can be benefits as well as risks/shortcomings of Shadow IT and Business-managed IT. Concerning governance, we distinguish two subcategories: general governance for Shadow IT and Business-managed IT and instance governance for overt Business-managed IT. Thus, a specific set of governance approaches exists for Business-managed IT that cannot be applied to Shadow IT due to its covert nature. Hence, we extend the existing conceptual understanding and allocate research themes to Shadow IT, Business-managed IT, or both concepts and particularly distinguish the governance of the two concepts. Besides, we find that governance themes have been the primary research focus since 2016, whereas older publications (until 2015) focused on causing factors