Conflict management by a police leader

Abstract

In India, cities often have their own commissioner of police (CP). The CP of a city is an important position within the public administration sphere, especially the executive among the troika of legislative, executive, and judiciary in India. To give a corporate analogy, the CP is akin to the chief X officer (generic term for the job title where X represents the specific position) of one of the verticals in a giant firm with multiple verticals—performing the important function of maintaining law and order within the assigned jurisdiction. In this case, Shaniya interviews a CP of an important industrial town in northern India—Jalandhar in Punjab. She learns about five situations that demonstrate the varied types of responses the CP uses to manage conflict. Using the lens of the Thomas–Kilmann conflict-management styles, among other approaches, leadership and ways to address conflict are assessed.