In search of the silver-lining

Abstract

Tensions between police organizations and (community) stakeholders have taken center stage in recent years, with an escalation in protests and divisive rhetoric observed in many countries. Using attribution theory, this study examines how police officers interpret negative stakeholder feedback and how these interpretations shape their behavioral responses. Qualitative analysis based on 148 interviews with European police officers shows that officers make six different attributions about the causes of stakeholder critique, and that these have direct implications for their behavioral responses. In particular, these different attribution patterns are found to play a critical and hitherto unrecognized role in shaping police-stakeholder relations and organizational learning among police forces.