Recognition and change: Embracing a mobile policing initiative

Radical notions of recognition at work have not been considered widely in respect of organizational change. This article examines the introduction of a change programme across two UK police departments, during which front-line officers were actively involved and consulted throughout its pilot phase. The purpose of this article is to consider the question of whether or not a perceived sense of recognition amongst officers contributed to the success of this initiative. The research utilises qualitative data derived from individual interviews, focus groups, and observations, gathered over one-year, within two UK police departments. The data was analyzed thematically. Reflection, and an ongoing discussion with officers, led to a theoretical exploration of recognition, in order to explore the apparent success of the programme. Recognition, consisting of a sense of love, respect and esteem, appears to offer a notable impetus to the acceptance of a change programme within a traditionally change averse organization. Resistance to organizational change may be better addressed through a strategy that seeks to actively promote the claims to recognition of organizational members, particularly through the extension of a right to participate within the context of a supportive and protective culture of engagement. The article utilises the novel, but increasingly utilized, theory of recognition to analyse and explain positive employee involvement in a change programme within the police. This approach helped to achieve change in a widely acknowledged change resistant organization.