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Shots Fired! Switching Between Practices in Police Work

Author

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  • Jan-Kees Schakel

    (KIN Research Group, VU University, 1081 HV Amsterdam, The Netherlands)

  • Paul C. van Fenema

    (Netherlands Defense Academy, 90004, 3509 AA Utrecht, The Netherlands)

  • Samer Faraj

    (Desautels Faculty of Management, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec H3A 1G5, Canada)

Abstract

Fast-response organizations are under increased scrutiny as to their ability to mount a timely and coordinated response to unexpected events. Our inductive study focuses on a high profile murder that occurred in Amsterdam in 2011 where a large multidisciplinary police team faced major coordination challenges and was unsuccessful in switching from the practice of surveillance to that of apprehension when their target was suddenly gunned down. Our analysis suggests that challenges related to relational ambiguity, knowledge flows, communications technology, team composition, and field obstructions, hindered the switching between practices under conditions of surprise and fast response. The paper offers a theoretical framework toward a greater understanding of the persistent coordination challenges that arise when a sudden switch from one practice to another becomes necessary. Our study contributes toward a greater understanding of practice performance and the social and material challenges related to switching between practices.

Suggested Citation

  • Jan-Kees Schakel & Paul C. van Fenema & Samer Faraj, 2016. "Shots Fired! Switching Between Practices in Police Work," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 27(2), pages 391-410, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:inm:ororsc:v:27:y:2016:i:2:p:391-410
    DOI: 10.1287/orsc.2016.1048
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    2. Herve de Bisschop & Serge Leblanc, 2022. "How Do Simulated High-Intensity Situations Train Leaders to Maintain Their Ability to Act in Unfamiliar, Unforeseen or Uncertain Environments?," Post-Print hal-03677879, HAL.
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    4. Virginie Fernandez & Yvonne Giordano & Sabrina Loufrani-Fedida, 2017. "Enacting resilience in extreme action teams: The case of French mountain rescue organizing," Post-Print hal-02046087, HAL.
    5. Paul C. Fenema & A. Georges L. Romme, 2020. "Latent organizing for responding to emergencies: foundations for research," Journal of Organization Design, Springer;Organizational Design Community, vol. 9(1), pages 1-16, December.
    6. Geoffrey Leuridan & Benoît Demil, 2022. "Exploring the dynamics of slack in extreme contexts," Post-Print hal-03931024, HAL.
    7. Lenesley Pauline & Cécile Godé & Valérie Buthion, 2017. "Teams Coordination In A Polycentric System: Insights From Pre-Hospital Emergency Teams," Post-Print hal-01531144, HAL.
    8. Kenny Ching & Enrico Forti & Evan Rawley, 2021. "Extemporaneous Coordination in Specialist Teams: The Familiarity Complementarity," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 32(1), pages 1-17, January.

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