The Work Environment Component in a Police Investigative Context : An assessment of Job Diagnostic Survey and the Organizational Climate Measure

Abstract

The purpose of the current study is twofold. Firstly, it examines which work environment factors are considered important by police investigative employees when asked to reflect upon quality aspects of investigative work in SWOT interviews. Secondly, it seeks to uncover whether the instruments Job Diagnostic Survey and the Organizational Climate measure are relevant for measuring work environment factors in knowledge intensive organizations such as the Police. Qualitative open-ended interviews were conducted with 51 representatives from 16 of Norway´s 27 police districts. The interviews generated a total of 12 429 statements which were coded on the scales of the two work environment instruments. Three main findings resulted from the current study. The results showed that a 62,9% of police investigative reflections about quality of investigative work in Norway corresponded to central aspects in a modern understanding of work environment as operationalized by OCM. Furthermore, the results indicated that the Organizational Climate Measure captured significantly more statements than the Job Diagnostic Survey. Finally, the results showed that the police investigative employees addressed significantly more work issues at the organizational level than the individual, group – and leadership levels. The findings indicate that attention to work environment factors, particularly on the organizational level, might be important when addressing quality issues in police investigative work in Norway. The study may also have practical implications for assessment of work environments in general as it showed that open-ended interviews generated work environment issues not covered by established survey instruments today.