Change in the Organization Socialization of the United States Border Patrol\u27s Basic Law Enforcement Training Academy: A Supervisor\u27s Perspective

This study examines the role of a changed organizational socialization process on supervisory adaptation. The research study is motivated by the central question: how do supervisors adapt in their role as supervisors when the initial organizational socialization process has changed. Literature on socialization in policing has focused almost exclusively on long-term job satisfaction, while literature on police supervisory adaptation centers on leadership approaches. Previous research on police socialization clearly indicates the process is a series of stages filled with rite of passages . There is no distinction between the socialization of a non-supervisor officer versus a supervisory officer. The literature is scant when it comes to determining how supervisors adapt in their role when the socialization process changes significantly. This study advances our understanding of what influences supervisory adaptation and how they adapt in their role. I conducted a constructivist grounded theory study by using a sample of thirty-two United States Border Patrol supervisors to conduct semi-structured interviews. The findings from this research study illustrates the persuasiveness of the profession\u27s socialization process is on role adjustment. The research study participants described expectations and experiences developed at the basic training academy were foundational for role adaptation. The findings also revealed that supervisor adaptation was influenced by the following constructs: supervisory preparation, supervisory challenges, and trainee preparedness. Supervisors in this case adapted in their role by increasing team building, making daily assignments based on abilities, managing and teaching more, and providing more mentorship. The results, implications for theoretical contributions, for policy makers and leadership program developers, and future research are discussed