How knowledge organizations work: The case of detectives in police investigations

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Gottschalk, Petter

Affiliations: Department of Leadership and Organization Management, Norwegian School of Management, Nydalsveien 37, 0442 Oslo, Norway. E-mail: [email protected]

Abstract: Criminal investigation is a challenging task for detectives. This paper is concerned with characteristics of effective detectives. In a survey in Norway, police investigators were asked to list the five most important characteristics of effective detectives. This was done in a free format, requiring content analysis to categorize responses. Responses were categorized according to thinking styles in police investigations. While creativity was the most frequently mentioned characteristic, content analysis shows that the skill style of detectives is the most effective thinking style.

Keywords: Creativity, professional skills, law enforcement, method style, challenge style, skill style, risk style

DOI: 10.3233/HSM-2007-26303

Journal: Human Systems Management, vol. 26, no. 3, pp. 173-180, 2007