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Book part
Publication date: 8 December 2016

Alexandro Villanueva

This chapter describes, both from a personal and historical perspective, the ascendancy and incumbency of Leroy D. Baca as sheriff of Los Angeles County, comparing and contrasting…

Abstract

This chapter describes, both from a personal and historical perspective, the ascendancy and incumbency of Leroy D. Baca as sheriff of Los Angeles County, comparing and contrasting his leadership, ensconced in new age terminology, with that of his predecessors, Sherman Block and Peter J. Pitchess. Of immediate concern were his personal decisions, in particular the appointment of Paul Tanaka to be his undersheriff after many years serving as his campaign treasurer. What was considered a marginally functional merit-based promotional system was transformed into a political patronage model, with the attendant loss of organizational legitimacy and tarnished public reputation. The chapter will compare and contrast life within the “car,” as the term is commonly used within the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, and life outside the car, through first-hand accounts, testimony from the Citizen’s Commission on Jail Violence, depositions, and published reports. Using the concept of representative bureaucracy, I will track organizational diversity as a performance measure, using the relative inclusion of all employee groups in the rank structure of the department and how each group fared under the Baca/Tanaka administration. In conclusion, this chapter will present different coping mechanisms utilized by employees confronting serious corruption issues that impacted them directly, and indirectly through the organization.

Details

The Dark Side of Leadership: Identifying and Overcoming Unethical Practice in Organizations
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-78635-499-0

Keywords

Book part
Publication date: 17 December 2013

Brantley R. Choate and Anthony H. Normore

In May 2012, Los Angeles County Sheriff Leroy D. Baca took a bold step in leadership and created the Education-Based Incarceration (EBI) Bureau. The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s…

Abstract

In May 2012, Los Angeles County Sheriff Leroy D. Baca took a bold step in leadership and created the Education-Based Incarceration (EBI) Bureau. The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department (LASD) essentially established a school district inside “… the nation’s largest jail system” (Baca, 2010, p. 58). With approximately 20,000 inmates, nearly 8,000 men and women now receive some form of rehabilitative education across seven county jail facilities. The new EBI Bureau, led by a captain, was established to fulfill Sheriff Baca’s vision to provide education to all incarcerated men and women in Los Angeles County. EBI is a system that “is focused on deterring and mitigating crime by investing in its offenders through education and rehabilitation. … By providing substantive and intellectual education in jails, and being supportive rather than punitive in efforts to reduce crime-related behavior, the likelihood to recidivate will be lowered while success and stability in the community occurs” (Baca, 2010, p. 54). The implementation of this new system has not come without resistance. Using a system’s thinking conceptual framework, this chapter examines the leadership impact of Sheriff executive staff, the custody staff, and the inmate, as it pertains to the blending of two distinct systems – jail and school. Furthermore, the chapter explains the roles of leadership in reducing jail violence and recidivism.

Details

Collective Efficacy: Interdisciplinary Perspectives on International Leadership
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-78190-680-4

Article
Publication date: 22 April 2022

Sara Leroi-Werelds and Jörg Matthes

The aim of this paper is to integrate insights from service, branding and communication research to present key principles of a successful transformative value positioning for…

Abstract

Purpose

The aim of this paper is to integrate insights from service, branding and communication research to present key principles of a successful transformative value positioning for service brands.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper uses a conceptual approach that is rooted in the service, branding and communication literature.

Findings

The contribution of this paper is threefold. First, this paper explains why positioning a service brand is different from positioning a product brand and why this is especially challenging in case of transformative value. Second, an organizing framework is used to theorize that a successful transformative value positioning is based on the organizational DNA; is consistently implemented in actions, communications, employee behavior, and servicescapes; and inspires customer engagement. Based on this framework, this paper formulates key principles of a successful transformative value positioning for service brands. Third, this paper provides a research agenda to guide and stimulate future research.

Practical implications

The key principles provide guidelines for managers striving for a transformative value positioning. Not adhering to these guidelines could have severe implications for service brands in terms of washing perceptions ultimately deteriorating the brand image.

Originality/value

This paper combines insights from service, branding and communication research to provide a comprehensive and balanced perspective on a successful transformative value positioning for service brands.

Details

Journal of Service Management, vol. 33 no. 4/5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1757-5818

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 5 November 2010

Janice Witt Smith and Stephanie E. Joseph

This article aims to provide a qualitative analysis of the diversity management challenges of professionals in corporate America. A specific focus is on the differential outcomes…

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Abstract

Purpose

This article aims to provide a qualitative analysis of the diversity management challenges of professionals in corporate America. A specific focus is on the differential outcomes of women and ethnic minorities and their equal employment opportunities in the workplace.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper examined the workplace experiences of 42 African‐American and Caucasian men and women in corporate America. Semi‐structured interviews were held to discover diversity management issues unique to these groups.

Findings

It was found that challenges supported a priori assertions of organizational culture, discrimination/stereotyping, and human capital investments. Each of these challenges impacted members in qualitatively different ways that may account for the variability in work experiences and outcomes. While there were some consistent themes, the findings demonstrated significant within race and between gender differences.

Research limitations/implications

Qualitative studies provide in‐depth information and a deeper understanding about phenomena which allows one to capture general themes that can be obscured in survey research. The intersection of race and gender provides unique findings that should be considered in future research. The use of self‐reported perceptual data without triangulation can limit the generalizability of the study but does provide a view in the language and emotion of the individual who is sharing his/her workplace experience.

Practical implications

The findings demonstrate that diversity management practices need to consider race, gender, as well as multiple group memberships (e.g. African‐American women) which reveals unique issues to be addressed within organizational contexts. There are also differences within race, by gender, in the ways that individuals experience the workplace. The findings provide insight for managers to aid in diversity management and retention.

Social implications

Race is socially constructed and has a political rather than biological basis for determining it. Racial categories in one country which limit an individual's power, influence, freedom, and clout may be very different than categories in another country or political context. Because race is socially constructed, individuals may increase or lose power, privilege, influence and status as they move from one sociopolitical context/power structure in one country to another.

Originality/value

This research provides an additional lens through which to examine the workplace experiences of women and minorities to aid managers in deriving the maximum benefit in a diverse, well‐qualified labor force.

Details

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion: An International Journal, vol. 29 no. 8
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2040-7149

Keywords

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