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The purpose of this paper is to identify critical success factors for the management of complex change processes in fire service organizations and to apply these in a case study of the Rotterdam-Rijnmond fire service.

The paper provides review of literature on organizational change, case study of the Rotterdam-Rijnmond fire service supported by the analysis of policy documents and 30 semi-structured interviews with key persons.

Combining different theoretical approaches helps to get a more complete picture of important issues and dilemma’s in the management of change processes – which is a first step in the successful implementation of changes – whereas other approaches tend to emphasize only some and overlook others. Applied in a case study, this approach revealed serious weaknesses in the management of change within the Rotterdam-Rijnmond fire service and offered practical guides for solutions.

This paper combines insights from different theoretical approaches into a more integrated perspective that aims to be helpful as a practical tool for designing and implementing complex changes in fire service organizations.

This present study sheds light on how these issues affect police officers’ personal and professional lives. This research looks at how family support (FS) and workplace pressures affect police effectiveness.

The analysis of the measurement and structural model was conducted using AMOS version 26. To ensure the accuracy of the results, a two-stage analysis methodology (Anderson and Gerbing, 1988) was used. The first stage involved testing the measurement model using various validity indicators such as confirmatory factor analysis, comparative fit index, goodness of fit index and Tucker–Lewis index to evaluate the incremental compatibility of the model. Root-mean-square approximation error and CMIN/DF were also used to further assess the model’s validity. In the second stage of the analysis, the structural model was estimated using structural equation modeling technique (Hair et al., 1998). The data obtained from the measurement model was then used to determine the fit indices. Because the values were consistent with the criterion values, the model was deemed to be a good fit.

The study conducted sheds light on the crucial role that work stressors (WS) and FS play in determining job satisfaction (JS) among nongazetted officers (NGOs) and other ranks (ORs) police officials in the state of Punjab, India. The findings suggest that there exists a complex interdependence between WS and FS, and their correlation with regards to work, family and children’s evaluations. The first hypothesis (H1, Table 4) was found to be true (0.440, p = 0.001), indicating that more than 44 % of the job performance of police officials in Punjab is affected by stressors related to work. The study also identified eight WS that have a significant impact on the performance of police officials on the job. On the other hand, FS was found to have no influence on the job performance of police officials in Punjab, and hence, the second hypothesis was rejected. Further analysis showed that FS was more prevalent among NGOs as compared to ORs police personnel, but it did not directly influence their job performance. The benefits of FS may be moderated by the nature of the job; hence, FS may be more critical in stressful jobs such as police work than in less stressful jobs. The study emphasizes the importance of balancing work and family demands and highlights the need for family-friendly policies to achieve this balance. Future research should focus on the types of policies that should be offered to lessen stress and conflict and examine the benefits of merely offering programs versus requiring or encouraging their usage. The findings of this study could be useful for policymakers and organizations in designing policies that promote employee well-being and JS while balancing work and family demands.

As with any research endeavor, it is essential to interpret the findings of this study while considering its limitations. First, the study relied on a convenience sample drawn solely from one nation, namely, India, which may restrict the generalizability of the results to other countries or cultural contexts. Furthermore, it is important to note that this study exclusively explored the causal relationship between monetary compensation, intrinsic motivation and employee performance, without delving into the nuances of various forms or qualities of FS (e.g. emotional support, instrumental support, perceived vs actual support) and their impact on job performance among police officers. Additionally, the research did not investigate whether the influence of FS on job performance varies based on the specific WS encountered by police officers. These limitations highlight potential avenues for future research to explore in greater depth.

To enhance the well-being and JS of police officers and their families, a comprehensive set of tailored interventions and support programs can be implemented. Recognizing the unique stressors faced by officers and introducing critical incident debriefing sessions and counseling services to provide a confidential space for emotional processing. Offering flexible scheduling, exploring remote work options and developing workshops and resource programs to address the needs of officers’ families, including stress management and communication skills. Strengthening parental leave policies, incorporating extended paid leave and clear communication, to alleviate stress during significant family events. Establishing peer support networks within police departments to provide officers with a valuable avenue for sharing experiences and coping strategies. Collectively, these interventions aim to create a supportive and family-friendly environment within the police force, ultimately fostering improved work-family balance and enhanced well-being for police personnel. To enhance the well-being and JS of police officers and their families, a comprehensive set of tailored interventions and support programs can be implemented. Recognizing the unique stressors faced by officers, critical incident debriefing sessions and counseling services should be introduced to provide a confidential space for emotional processing. Given the demanding nature of police work, exploring flexible schedules and remote work options can assist officers in achieving a better work-life balance, particularly when dealing with family-related challenges. Workshops and resource programs specifically addressing the needs of officers’ families, including stress management and communication skills, can be developed to strengthen family connections. Strengthening parental leave policies, incorporating extended paid leave and clear communication, can alleviate stress during significant family events. Establishing peer support networks within police departments provides officers with a valuable avenue for sharing experiences and coping strategies. Regular mental health check-ins and screenings, as well as financial education workshops, acknowledge and address the unique challenges faced by officers and their families. Community engagement and recognition initiatives, along with specialized training on work-family balance, can foster positive morale. Finally, the establishment of a crisis intervention and FS hotline serves as a vital lifeline during critical situations, ensuring immediate assistance and resources for officers and their families in times of need. Collectively, these interventions aim to create a supportive and family-friendly environment within the police force.

The primary objective of this study is to assess the impact of occupational demands and familial support on the overall happiness levels of police officers stationed in Punjab, India. The research underscores the crucial importance of implementing family-friendly policies aimed at achieving a harmonious equilibrium between professional responsibilities and family life commitments. The findings unveil a multifaceted interconnection between occupational stress, familial support systems and individual assessments concerning career fulfillment, domestic life and parental responsibilities. Moreover, the study sheds light on various family-friendly initiatives, such as empowerment strategies and recognition programs, that have the potential to augment JS among police personnel. Furthermore, it suggests that future investigations delve deeper into the efficacy of implementing voluntary programs rather than mandating or promoting their usage in mitigating stress and resolving familial conflicts. The study establishes a clear correlation between JS, overall well-being and the interplay between occupational demands and familial encouragement. Policymakers and corporate entities are urged to take cognizance of these factors while formulating strategies aimed at enhancing the health and contentment levels of employees in the workplace. Additionally, the study underscores the significance of cultural factors, emphasizing the need to consider them in future research endeavors and policy formulations. Cultural factors such as societal norms, values and expectations can influence the way that police personnel perceive and use FS, as well as the impact that FS has on their job performance. By conducting cross-cultural studies, researchers can gain insights into how the relationship between FS and job performance may vary across different cultural contexts. This can help to identify universal factors as well as culturally specific influences on the interplay between FS and job performance among police personnel. Furthermore, investigating the impact of FS on job performance in diverse cultural contexts can contribute to the development of culturally sensitive support programs and policies for police officers. Understanding how cultural factors shape the experiences of police personnel and their families can inform the design of interventions that are tailored to the specific needs and challenges present in different cultural settings. In summary, expanding the research scope to include diverse cultural contexts can enhance the generalizability of the findings and contribute to the development of culturally sensitive support programs and policies for police officers.

The content of this paper is entirely original and has not been derived from any other published or unpublished documents. It has been created solely for the purpose of providing new and unique information for the readers.

This study aims to examine how subgroups within a cohort of Swedish police students value different types of curricula content (i.e. new competencies versus enduring ones) in the context of the currently transforming landscape of basic police training.

Drawing on a Swedish national survey (N = 369), the study examined variations in how students value new versus enduring police curricula content based on sociodemographic factors. Specifically, factors such as student age and gender and the institutional arrangements of education were tested using an independent t test.

The study identified differences in values based on gender. Female students valued competencies such as communication, flexibility, diversity and decisiveness as more important in an educational setting than did males. Fewer differences were found in relation to institutional arrangement, and in-house students valued flexibility and communication skill as more important for educational curricula compared to university-based students. No differences were found in relation to age.

This study adds knowledge to the question of how changes in occupational education policy develop in practice. More specifically, the study explored how students in educational programmes value new versus enduring competencies and whether differences can be identified based on sociodemographic factors. These questions are important because they expose sociodemographic conditions that influence how students value policy-driven skills versus enduring ones.

Work-related violence is a major occupational safety and health (OSH) issue. According to the concept of violence prevention climate, managers play a pivotal role in preventing the risk of violence at work. However, research on this is scarce. The objective of this study was, therefore, to examine line managers' use of violence preventive practices in high-risk sectors.

The authors employed three different sources of data (semi-structured interviews and field notes from both leadership seminars and coaching sessions) that were collected in the context of an intervention study in Denmark aimed at improving violence prevention. The authors conducted a thematic analysis of violence prevention experiences among 16 line managers – eight from the prison and probation services and eight from psychiatric hospitals.

Using an existing prevention framework, the authors categorized the descriptions into three types of violence preventive practices used by the line managers across the two sectors: “preventing violence”, “managing episodes of violence” and “promoting the positive”. Especially the category “promoting the positive” is often neglected in the intervention literature.

The study identified new aspects of managers' violence preventive practices than those included in the violence prevention climate concept. Such knowledge may help organizations devise improved systems for violence prevention in high-risk sectors.

22 July 2011, saw the biggest domestic terror event in Norway since World War II. On this day, a right-wing terrorist placed a bomb in front of the Norwegian government building, where the prime minister had his office at the time. Later, the same perpetrator dressed up as a policeman and tricked his way into a political youth camp, where 69 mostly young people were killed. The present case study involves the leading national online news provider, VG, whose website, VG Nett, was Norway’s most-read online news site at the time of the attack. The study addresses the research gap of how news workers and managers see the potential of the affordances of digital media during crisis events. Furthermore, the study looks at how two different discourses of professionalism, the occupational and the organisational, informed journalists’ use of technological and social media affordances during this terror event, and at how online journalists and management reflect upon and continue to refine these approaches five years later. This study stresses the importance of a clear understanding of the decision-making processes that actually guide the handling of those affordances during a crisis event. Ultimately, this study questions not the perceived tension between the two discourses of professionalism, but their relative impact upon domestic crisis journalism in the technological realm.

Law enforcement agencies and police officers' efforts were crucial to oversee the public health measures and legal regulations introduced during the Covid-19 pandemic. The study had two objectives: to examine the strategies implemented by law enforcement agencies in Catalonia (Spain) to monitor the pandemic and to explore the adverse working conditions of police officers and their personal difficulties during the state of alarm.

A total of 96 experienced police officers completed a closed-ended, anonymous online survey. In addition, complementary information was collected about the management of law enforcement agencies through open interviews. A descriptive analysis was carried out and the association between variables was explored.

In general terms, law enforcement agencies managed the uncertainty of the situation, with a focus on official information and communication channels between officers. However, many difficulties were reported by the police officers, such us inconsistency between rules, lack of preventive material or changes in work schedules. Besides, the officers' main concern, beyond the emotional impact suffered during this period, was the possibility of being infected or infecting others.

The congruence between the job requirements and resources, as well as the increase of communication channels during situations of high risk are important variables to assure good job development and personal satisfaction of police officers.

To the knowledge of the authors, at the time of writing this paper, this is the first study in Spain to explore the management of law enforcement agencies and police officers' personal experiences during the Covid-19.

As the police service across England and Wales moves towards degree-level study for new recruits as a component of recognising the profession of policing, this paper describes and discusses the introduction of the Police Constable Degree Apprenticeship (PCDA) and the core skills of evidence-based policing (EBP) as an educational theme for solving work-based problems.

Authored by both policing practitioners and researchers, this paper refers to key literature whilst exploring the implementation of the PCDA as a component of a Policing Education Qualifications Framework (PEQF). It highlights some of the challenges faced with its implementation along with the benefits of the adopting this degree-level education and work-based programme where EBP is embedded in to both study and professional practice.

There are significant benefits to the police service of adopting the PCDA as one of the entry routes for new police constables and embracing the educational development and professional application of EBP. However, this does not come without a number of challenges for the service and the professional body for policing.

This paper, co-authored by both policing practitioners and researchers, provides a contemporary view on the introduction of the PCDA as an initial entry route for new police constables and the embedding of EBP within both their learning and professional practice. As the first graduates complete their studies, the paper discusses the opportunities the adoption presents and the challenges it faces both locally and nationally.

Building on work that explores the relationship between individual beliefs and ability to recognize discrimination (e.g., Kaiser and Major, 2006), we examine how an adherence to beliefs about gender essentialism, gender egalitarianism, and meritocracy shape one’s interpretation of an illegal act of sexual harassment involving a male supervisor and female subordinate. We also consider whether the role of the gendered culture of engineering (Faulkner, 2009) matters for this relationship. Specifically, we conducted an online survey-experiment asking individuals to report their beliefs about gender and meritocracy and subsequently to evaluate a fictitious but illegal act of sexual harassment in one of two university research settings: an engineering department, a male-dominated setting whose culture is documented as being unwelcoming to women (Hatmaker, 2013; Seron, Silbey, Cech, and Rubineau, 2018), and an ambiguous research setting. We find evidence that the stronger one’s adherence to gender egalitarian beliefs, the greater one’s ability to detect inappropriate behavior and sexual harassment while gender essentialist beliefs play no role in their detection. The stronger one’s adherence to merit beliefs, the less likely they are to view an illegal interaction as either inappropriate or as sexual harassment. We account for respondent knowledge of sexual harassment and their socio-demographic characteristics, finding that the former is more often associated with the detection of inappropriate behavior and sexual harassment at work. We close with a discussion of the transferability of results and policy implications of our findings.