The role of emotions and transformational leadership on police culture: an autoethnographic account

摘要

This paper explores the potential of leaders whose vision can capture the minds and hearts of followers on the culture of a large metropolitan police organisation. The paper is based upon an autoethnographic account, and is infused with the author's own emotional reactions to being immersed in the business of metropolitan policing, with all of its associated challenges and opportunities. Police officers were found to connect emotionally with transformational leaders. Transformational leaders were found to be able to challenge dominant paradigms until such leaders invoked the emotions of fear and insecurity in upper management.