Leadership in a military context: The case of the Dubai Police

Abstract

Leadership is among the critical factors in any police force that helps them to achieve their goals. However, limited studies have focused on police leadership and those studies were conducted in western countries. Thus, this study aims to explore police leadership in a military context in non-western countries. Qualitative research methodology was used to achieve the aim of this study and to answer the research questions. Dubai Police which focuses on fostering human capital including leaders, was selected as a sample for military context. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with ten leaders working in the Dubai Police force who were asked about police leader conceptualisation, whether police leaders are born or made, what are the most important traits for police leaders and, finally, leadership development strategies in the police forces. NVivo Software (version 14) was used to analyze the data. The interviews have obtained the aim of the study and answered the research questions. The findings provided a more complete in-depth description of the leadership in a military context. The results showed that; 1) Police leadership conceptualization is defined as influencing others and also it is process. 2) Police leaders are born and made. 3) Strong communication skills, decision making and integrity were observed to be among the most important traits for police leaders. 4) Police leadership development strategies included formal education, training courses, experience and learning in practice. The study had extended police leadership literature, and confirmed the applicability of results of studies conducted in western countries on those of non- western ones that give priority to police leaders and focuses on achieving organizational strategic direction. Concerning practical contributions, this study serves as foundational research for other researchers who are interested in this field in a new regional context, especially in the Dubai Police.