Abstract
Police agencies are experimenting with a variety of organizational models to meet contemporary community service needs. One promising approach is the delivery of Community Policing services by Neighborhood Police Teams designed to address the idiosyncratic problems of particular neighborhoods. However, the transition from traditional organizational design into teams has proven challenging for most police agencies. While many Neighborhood Police Teams flourish and provide noteworthy service, most perform inadequately. However, virtually no recent research has investigated the qualities distinguishing the effectiveness of these teams. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to identify the team characteristics that differentiate high performance and low performance Neighborhood Police Teams delivering Community Policing services. The research sample was all Neighborhood Police Teams serving California municipalities with populations of 50,000 or more. Five hundred thirteen police officers assigned to fifty-nine teams from twenty-seven police agencies serving thirty-six cities participated. Team characteristics significantly differentiating Neighborhood Police Team performance were determined through survey research utilizing the Larson and LaFasto (1989) Team Excellence model and "test of differences" statistical analysis. Agency managers completed the Manager's Team Impact Assessment instrument to measure team goal attainment. Team members completed the Team Excellence instrument to measure eight recognized team effectiveness dimensions. Neighborhood Police Teams were categorized as either high performance or low performance based upon their goal attainment scores. T-tests determined the Team Excellence dimensions significantly differentiating high and low performance teams. Narrative questions supplemented the scaled instrument to provide greater insight into team processes. The research found that thirty-four percent of Neighborhood Police Teams attained their goals to at least a "great degree"; sixty-six percent attained their goals to a "moderate degree" or less. High and low performance teams were differentiated in four dimensions: clear elevating goal, results-driven structure, standards of excellence, and external support and recognition. Generally, systems problems rather than people problems appeared to impede low performance teams. The research infers that for Neighborhood Police Teams to succeed, police agencies must develop organizational systems capable of sustaining them in their dynamic environment.