Written by Damon L. Simmons, PhD

September 6, 2024

 

Introduction

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This paper discusses the critical role of empathetic leadership in law enforcement. This role is crucial to keeping police accountable and transparent and to promote a culture of trust between the police and the communities they serve. Why is empathetic leadership crucial in law enforcement? Can the natural process of policing and the ethical culture be reinforced by a valid and reliable leadership style? The empathetic leadership style is an approach supported by some of America's top CEOs and is viewed as an empowering, ethical influence that has steadily been influencing the business world in recent years. This style can be applied to police executive leadership.

 

In addition to the severe stressors associated with a police officer's life and routine, our best leadership model for law enforcement has all too frequently been the military model, with a leader who tells people what to do and how to do it. A leader's ability to demonstrate understanding of subordinates is an important part of trust and morale, job satisfaction, productivity, and ethical behavior. Buttressed with self-sacrifice, knowledge, and acceptance of one's character and values, and drawing from the trust of superiors and subordinates, the making of a great empathetic leader can occur. Only through exceptional leadership, unprecedented innovative flexibility, and stable practices of maintaining an ethical climate can the police culture be transformed into a forward-thinking, creative, accepting, self-selective, and rewarding experience for the law enforcement professional. However, this can present as an overwhelming and never-ending task, and understanding adequate training in the concept is an essential element. Empathetic leadership is the strongest leader for present and future-oriented generations of law enforcement officers.

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Understanding Empathy in Law Enforcement

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Empathy can be difficult to define. This is evident as there are more than 90 competing definitions of empathy. Despite this, nearly all of them have similarities. Empathy is the ability to understand the feelings and perspectives of another person. This is done by placing oneself in the shoes of another. It is a complex, multifaceted response to another's distress. Gardner in the book "Frames of Mind" provides several types of empathy. They are cognitive empathy, negative affective empathy, positive affective empathy, and affective concern. Positive affective empathy is typically associated with social performance. It allows one to understand the enjoyment and/or happiness of others. Negative affective empathy, on the other hand, is what individuals generally experience when others are suffering. Affective concern is a type of empathy that is connected with the willingness to help others, similar to the emotion of sympathy.

 

Empathy is necessary in any vocation that involves interaction with people. With this statement in mind, the police department and law enforcement officers must employ empathy at all times. Many people would not fit the description of what some consider "good people" in the world. Just because someone may not exhibit the characteristics of good, moral behavior, no one has the right to turn their back on them. A decision has to be made to serve or not to serve. Although it is an easy decision for some, others struggle with it. Empathy is essential in performing the "serve" decision. There are many possible reasons for empathizing with people. Empathy can help someone, help someone not feel alone, it can help with community-related issues, or build bonds of trust. The police's role is to protect their citizens. By doing so, it is necessary to select people who work for the public and are caring and compassionate. If the police display an indifferent demeanor to the citizens, in turn, the citizens will be indifferent to the criminal justice system. They will then deny officers important assistance when they need it. The Judeo-Christian ethic is considered to be the main source of ethical codes and values. It too advocates empathy toward the disadvantaged, which is not usually seen in the police officer beleaguered by rules, policies, and procedures. As one can see, police are often in situations where they are expected to serve those who would otherwise not help or care for themselves. Empathy is a very unique quality to have.

 

Empathy has many synonyms, such as compassion, pity, mercy, heart, understanding, or feeling. Dictionary definitions include empathetic leadership's ability to understand and share the feelings of another. However, these definitions tend to focus on the leaders and what they do, not what empathy is or how it affects others. Empathy is a two-way street, active between two or more entities. It has distinct components, involving two or more interpretations and conclusions of the information, and effective leadership of others with two or more respective proximal agents. Thus, the concept needs deeper elucidation. It combines emotional and cognitive processes that lead to understanding the experiences and feelings of others, to what transpires from these processes and develops a personality trait of the receiver.

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Empathy in its holistic nature, of cognitive or emotional empathy includes mental reactions like valence (e.g., good vs. bad), intensity (e.g., strong vs. weak), and category-purity (e.g., clear vs. ambiguous). The understanding of another—more or less complex—experience leads to stronger emotional and more cognitive reactions. Hence, empathy per se is not morally positive or negative. Rather, if and how cognitive and emotional processes combine in a certain specific situation determines moral responses.

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Importance of Empathy in Law Enforcement

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In contrast to the traditional view of emotional intelligence as HR do-gooders, researchers now recognize that these skills are essential to good leadership. Evidence suggests that the best leaders are those who are both emotionally intelligent and especially skilled in the art of empathy. Empathy is not the only attribute that makes a good leader; other attributes, like intelligence and fairness, are equally as important and have been proven to be essential in guiding the actions of matter. Empathy is also an essential component of a good police officer because it serves as a connecting bridge between two individuals. The point of these attributes is to create good interactions between an officer and those working at the department to produce a better work environment in law enforcement to prevent unnecessary mishaps between officers and citizens.

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At a time when everyone is worried about the image of our law enforcement departments, a study found that when an individual agrees with the traits associated with that specific career, a more positive view is drawn from the encounter. As a result of active shooters and the actions of both citizens and law enforcement, extra precautionary measures are being put into place to secure those who work for law enforcement and respond to the officers who are sent by dispatchers. U.S. citizens' attitudes about our law enforcement departments are also beginning to shift. The news is becoming more and more distrustful of an officer's interactions with the public, and they quickly report inappropriate actions instead of seeing the positive actions officers take. In every profession, there are always going to be individuals who take advantage of their status and cause unnecessary mishaps. Such individuals unfortunately reflect negatively on the whole group. Due to the actions of some officers in local law enforcement departments, the media has focused on public and police interactions.

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Characteristics of Empathetic Leaders

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Instead, leaders with empathetic capacities are those who listen actively and engage in an exchange, participate willingly and cooperatively, cooperate as equals while also protecting themselves and exercising their rights, and thus can spend more time undertaking clear communication and negotiation, and less time exerting coercive control. Such leaders do not depend on power as much as general enrichment principles. They are forward- and backward-looking, they are pragmatic, they attempt to minimize pain, and ensure that needs are met, and they are aimed at practical change, seeking mutual gain through communication.

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While it is also easier to say what constitutes empathetic leadership than how to be empathic, there are some general traits and duties often reserved for the moral or compassionate capacity that are worth mentioning. Empathetic leaders:

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1. Understand their feelings and emotions

2. Listen actively, with full concentration

3. See things from another point of view

4. Express themselves effectively and communicate clear and consistent messages

5. Engage in strong social skills, building solid relationships and creating a positive culture

6. Demonstrate the ability to understand the thoughts and feelings of others to maximize their effectiveness

7. Shape how their behavior affects others

8. Directly engage with difficult personalities

9. Show resilience and strength

 

Self-Awareness

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Self-awareness is the foundation of effective empathetic leadership. This is the ability to accurately and honestly assess ourselves, our motivations, our reactions, and their true underlying cause. Also, as part of being self-aware, we must recognize how our weaknesses can affect how we communicate with others. This can be extremely challenging, as people often protect their self-concept from anything that goes against it. However, if we are unaware of those things, we can become susceptible to acting them out. Think of it as an iceberg, where what you see is only a small portion of the person (or an organization) while what lies beneath the surface of the water are feelings, confidence, motivations, and fears.

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As an individual and leader, it is important to peel back the layers of the proverbial onion and expose what lies underneath. Whatever issue you uncover can then be addressed, managed, or eliminated. The better we understand ourselves, the better we can understand how others might see us, which can be critical for effective leadership. Understanding why people react to you the way they do is the first step in changing the undesirable way. Many times, a leader's reaction to both the person and the situation is not conditioned by the problem but rather by the way people communicate that problem.

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Emotional Intelligence

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Emotional intelligence is "the ability to recognize and understand your own and other people's emotions and relate this to your life.” It can help in personal and professional relationships as it teaches people how to recognize their emotional state as well as other people's states and then manage such emotional states. Emotional intelligence is separated into four domains: self-awareness and social awareness (personal awareness), self-regulation, and social skills. A law enforcement officer with high emotional intelligence can view a situation with empathy while providing an understanding of the perceptions, emotions, and thoughts of others. By understanding both their own and another's views, they can use their energies to concentrate on the bigger issues, as well as divert energy toward problem-solving and improve the chance to sort out the bigger issues. When a law enforcement officer is empathetic, it can make a positive contribution towards team effectiveness, which in turn plays a role in organizational awards.

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Benefits of Empathetic Leadership in Law Enforcement

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Given the vast diversity within today's law enforcement organizations, the potential to intermix systems of leadership is limitless. In recent years, the relativity of dominant paradigms has declined, replacing an acceptance of open-mindedness to change. This shift in accepted practices also opens doors to new and evolving leadership models. Empathetic leadership in law enforcement has been deemed ineffective by certain researchers due to the unique nature in which law enforcement organizations operate. Why would there be a need for empathy amongst a group that has a million vulnerabilities? And what about the assumption that empathy within the confines of a law enforcement organization makes officers victims of their weaknesses and vulnerabilities? The above perceptions about empathy have been instilled in the majority of law enforcement officers through repetitive exposure to a hierarchical structure that certainly has no place for empathetic leaders. However, there have been more and more distinctions made by researchers such as Bass and Steidlmeier noting that empathetic leadership is concrete evidence that a hierarchically structured system is not the only mode of operating. This in itself appears to be proof that current leaders and informal leaders at all levels of the organization need empathetic leadership more now than ever before.

 

Improved Officer Well-Being

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The significance of addressing the issue of law enforcement officer depression is extensive. Such efforts benefit the officers themselves, their families, and those with whom officers interact, as well as the larger community. Today, vibrant preventative and responsive treatments are available for officers grappling with this issue. Recognizing that some of the most valuable officers are those who have personally experienced tribulations but have triumphed over them, leadership dedication to officer well-being fosters both stronger individual officers and more resilient agencies and staff. Superiors who show empathy by listening, not just speaking, provide lines of communication for officers unable to just come out and say what is on their minds.

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Because of the uniform an officer wears, issues of power and control may often build up and cause the concern to unknowingly remain energy-based if there is insufficient downslope. Officers must be made to understand that reaching for the hand to be pulled up to solid ground is not an admission of weakness, but a coming to grips with the fact that strong and sober officers respond to provide the most secure foundation. Officers should expect thankless days at work but should not approach each period at home as a tension-filled powder keg.

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Enhanced Community Relations

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Enhanced community relations is one of the areas that leaders in every police department strive to improve. Empathetic leadership is a quick way to work effectively towards an improved relationship with citizens and the community. Empathy is also one of the five basic foundational beliefs of community policing for this very reason. By being able to empathize with people, it allows individuals the ability to understand their side of the story. This quality, in and of itself, provides improved customer satisfaction.

 

When citizens and business owners view law enforcement as partners in their communities, they will likely be more likely to report crimes, suspicious activities, or other problems. This information is vital to the department, not only because it helps officers solve more crimes, but it also helps officers do their job better. Officers who can solve problems, use their resources wisely and find the root of a problem area will have improved job satisfaction and a high quality of life. When a community is employed and has a better quality of life, there is naturally less crime. Empathetic leadership can truly solve many problems and build a better community for everyone involved.

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Challenges and Barriers to Empathetic Leadership

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Challenge 1: Lack of data in assessing empathetic leadership While it is possible to design and implement training programs that try to incorporate empathy at a leadership level, it is more difficult to assess just how well leadership training permeates and changes the behavior of supervisors in law enforcement. Empathy assessment needs to be performed in a qualitative, data-driven manner for any form of change. The pre-and post-implementation of an empathic training program needs to be compared to determine if there has been any change in empathy.

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Challenge 2: Police culture is based on hierarchical supervision with deferential treatment towards ranks and canons. Empathy comes more naturally to people who otherwise have little power over subordinates. Because of the security issues inherent in many police actions, a range of behaviors that would be unacceptable in other areas of public service might be considered necessities. As long as the police continue to work in such a manner, transforming the disciplinary system and the organizational culture could be a challenge. At a time when certain segments of the national population have serious reservations about how much authority uniformed officers should be accorded, defending a subculture that protects its own might not be the best plan.

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Challenge 3: Training for effective first-responder empathetic leadership is not part of the standard skills in police training. Moreover, the same training currently used to build the black box as motivation, tolerance for discomfort, and resilience is counterproductive to the development of police empathy. The nature of police work and its adverse effects have also been identified as factors that are most detrimental to empathy in police work. Prior studies suggest that the longer officers stay on the job, the less empathetic they become, whereas rolling history also contains several studies that suggest the opposite.

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Training and Development for Empathetic Leadership

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Training programs on empathetic leadership emphasize developing a leader's sensitivity to the needs and characteristics of others and preparing a leader to take action based on that understanding. Developing specific programs to teach emotional intelligence provides a practical, thoughtful, and common-sense way of developing leaders. Wekezer (2003) suggests that leaders can learn some principles of empathetic leadership that others possess by understanding and accepting the principles of caring, honesty, trust, equity, appreciation, common goals, accountability, joint behaviors, and binary values. Applying knowledge and skills is an essential input to creating the right performance as a reflective practice.

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According to Erzsébet, Anna, and Szabina Vargáné Gara (2020), training employees in management depends on whether they are armed with an empathetic attitude. In the case of law enforcement, young professionals need to help develop their behavior. Introducing them to an effective and fair solution to human conflict is possible by understanding the essence and specifics of empathy. The development of empathy is necessary to maximize the effectiveness of the work of the police interaction with society. Kundiiev (n.d.) also emphasizes the importance of guided developmental programs with the participation of mentors who act as reflective leaders. Engaging in a guided and motivated workforce, maintaining quality, and doing socially responsible activities provide value to individuals within any organization. Moreover, employees can think, express ideas, create personalized positions, become unique, and draw diverse staff members who can be empathic, ethical, committed, and competent leaders.

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Empathetic Leadership in Crisis Situations

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Historically, some of the greatest and most profound leaders of our time have been effective in times of crisis. Seeking optimistic and safe pathways when faced with an emergency is crucial for law enforcement personnel. Empathetic leaders should be able to connect with people in a time of crisis, and doing so may mean stepping out from behind formal titles and positions to roll up their sleeves and lend a hand. The mark of a true leader is the ability to connect at a universal level, share their humanity with people in distress, and empower others to do the same. A crisis is a time for empathy. Empathetic leadership is especially valuable during such crises because of its ability to include different perspectives, understand all crowds and groups, and listen intently to resist confirmation biases. Galford and Drapeau (2011) noted that "Good leadership is good citizenship."

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Conclusion and Future Directions

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Empathy is determined to present a unique driver of positively balanced leadership, differentiation of work, and subordinate performance. Furthermore, empathy leads to heightened relational capital by fostering a safe, inclusive, and development-promoting interpersonal atmosphere. These results set forth a new research stream: leader advice and exhortations as means of clarifying the emotional climate of the work environment. These human leadership characteristics offer a unique role for high-quality leadership.

Empathy can drive the creation of emotional resonance, helping others deal more effectively with their emotional experiences. Empathy may enhance the overall employment relations climate in public service entities, improving the relationship between law enforcement and the wider society, ultimately leading to the police being more perceived as protectors rather than oppressors.

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References:

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Brimbal, L., Bradford, B., Jackson, J., Hartwig, M., & Joseph, E. (2020). On the importance of a procedurally fair organizational climate for openness to change in law enforcement. Law and Human Behavior, 44(5), 394. ucl.ac.uk

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Dolamore, S., Lovell, D., Collins, H., & Kline, A. (2021). The role of empathy in organizational communication during times of crisis. Administrative Theory & Praxis, 43(3), 366-375. academia.edu

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