Leadership Methods in the Work of Police Managers in the Czech Republic after 1990

The article deals with the methods of leading people, focuses on the specific work methods of police managers. Based on own research, it presents usage frequency data of individual leading methods.

At the beginning, the differences between the terms leader, manager, leadership, and management are delimited. In the text, the following methods are described: mentoring, action learning, 360° feedback, the vision method, sugar and whip, the order method, and the own example method. The methods have been selected with regard to the specificity of the conditions of the environment, in which police managers perform their work.

Mentoring represents a manner of employee leadership, it is a relationship between the mentor and the employee. It allows for handing over experience and giving advice to employees in a suitable manner. The basic function of mentoring is the professional and social development of the mentee within the organisation.

The action learning method is a learning process, in which solving real problems of employees is utilised for expanding their knowledge. The difference between academic education and action learning consists in the academic education proving how much the developed employee is capable of repeating theory. The action learning method considers a proof of someone having learnt something when he is able to apply the newly obtained knowledge in practice for solving a real situation and thus achieving measurable benefits. The learning using the action teaching method can be understood as a process, where we constantly utilise important knowledge for improving, possibly adjusting performance.

However, adopting the methods alone is not sufficient, it must be complemented with a clear leadership style.