Kathryn May, Winnipeg Free Press
A 2004 study into the management and culture of the RCMP gave top brass early warning that Canada’s national police force was “institutionally sick” and headed for a crisis, says the co-author of the major in-house report.
Linda Duxbury, a professor at Carleton University’s Sprott School of Business, said the study, which tracked the attitudes and perceptions of 300 RCMP members between 2000 and 2003, indicated front-line officers and middle managers had lost all trust and faith in their leaders. She argued anyone who read that report shouldn’t be surprised the RCMP has found itself in the spotlight with a parade of officers breaking rank and accusing their senior bosses of corruption and coverup over the misuse of the force’s pension fund.
“It is a big deal because what it signifies is a betrayal of trust,” said Duxbury. “If you look at why many Mounties serve, they are incredibly proud of the uniform, the tradition, their service. This is one of Canada’s national symbols.”
“They lost the ability to be proud in their uniform, and part of that was the lack of understanding among senior officers of what leadership means. People may follow you because of rank or position, but as a leader, you have to engage the hearts of the people serving under you.
“My understanding is that there was a huge betrayal of trust at the top, because when they looked upwards, the behaviour of the senior leadership was against everything they were taught and held to be true.”
Some argue that Duxbury’s report, which received little attention from senior managers at the time, could have a significant impact on the future management of the RCMP. It was closely studied by independent investigator David Brown, whose report into the pension fiasco will be delivered to Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day today. Brown was said to have interviewed Duxbury about the report and her recommendations on how to fix the force.
The former head of the Ontario Securities Commission will recommend whether a public inquiry or a broader review of the force’s management is warranted. It is expected he won’t call for the public inquiry that the parliamentary opposition has been demanding.
Fixing the problems identified in the report will be the big challenge for the RCMP’s next commissioner, who is expected to be appointed any day. Acting commissioner Beverley Busson, who would have been a leading contender for the job, made it clear she wasn’t interested and would stay only until a replacement was found. She declined to be interviewed about the report and the force’s management challenges.
A summary of Duxbury’s report, obtained by CanWest News Service, flags the stress of mounting workloads, insufficient funding, “disconnected” senior leadership, poor communication flow between lower and upper ranks and the weak “people management” of the top bosses.
What’s startling about the report is how differently the lower, middle and upper ranks perceived the RCMP and how it was managed.
Senior management — anything above inspector — are happy, contented, think the RCMP is a great place to work and feel completely in control of their working lives. Their biggest gripe is about the hours they work, with some complaining about 60-hour weeks.
A very different picture emerged among rank-and-file members, which includes the constables and corporals and the middle managers, sergeants and staff sergeants. They account for most of the force.
The study indicates these groups felt betrayed by senior managers, who they didn’t trust, thought too political, and identified as careerists who “play the game” to get to the top. This group’s discontent increased significantly over the three years, while senior management’s views of the force just got better and better.
– CanWest News Service
‘They lost the ability to be proud in their uniform, and part of that was the lack of understanding among senior officers of what leadership means’
– Prof. Linda Duxbury, co-author of report on RCMP
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