Good to Great Policing: Vocabulary Review

A set of vocabulary terms and definitions derived from the PERF report applying Jim Collins' Good to Great principles to the policing and public sectors.

Good to Great

A book by Jim Collins that explores how companies transition from good performance to great performance, defined by stock market returns at least three times the market over 15 years.

Level 5 Leadership

A paradoxical blend of personal humility and professional will, where leaders are fanatically driven to produce results for the organization rather than for personal renown.

First Who, Then What

The principle of getting the right people on the bus and the wrong people off before deciding the vision or direction of the organization.

Confront the Brutal Facts

The practice of making an honest and diligent effort to determine the truth of a situation to make self-evident decisions, while nunca losing faith in ultimate success.

The Hedgehog Concept

A strategic understanding based on the intersection of three circles: what you can be the best in the world at, what you are deeply passionate about, and what drives your resource engine.

Culture of Discipline

An organizational state featuring disciplined people, disciplined thought, and disciplined action, which allows for greater freedom and responsibility without stultifying bureaucracy.

Technology Accelerators

The use of selected technologies as an accelerator of momentum for the Hedgehog Concept rather than using technology as a creator of that momentum.

The Flywheel

A metaphor for the process of organizational change that requires time and the combined efforts of many people making decisions that build momentum toward a breakthrough.

The Doom Loop

A pattern marked by chronic restructuring, management hoopla, and inconsistency, where an organization fails to build sustained momentum.

Stockdale Paradox

The psychological discipline of confronting the most brutal facts of your current reality while maintaining unwavering faith that you will prevail in the end.

Legislative Leadership

A leadership style common in the social sector that relies on persuasion, political currency, and shared interests rather than concentrated executive decision power.

Resource Engine

The social sector version of the 'economic engine' consisting of three parts: time (volunteers and committed staff), money (donors and grants), and brand (reputation).

CompStat

A weekly computerized statistical reporting and meeting system used to identify crime problems, compare performance across districts, and assess the impact of police responses.

The Council

An informal, standing body of 5 to 12 people created by a chief executive to argue and debate important issues facing the organization without seeking consensus.

Short Pay

A customer-discretionary evaluation tool where a client pays less than an invoice amount if dissatisfied, serving as a red-flag mechanism for the company.

CAPS

The Chicago Alternative Policing Strategy, which is the community-oriented policing strategy implemented by the Chicago Police Department.

CLEAR

Citizen Law Enforcement Analysis and Reporting; a relational database used in Chicago to link millions of tactical and statistical files in real time for officers.

SMIP

The Senior Management Institute for Policing, a three-week executive development program known for its case-based curriculum and exposure to non-policing faculty.

Curse of Competence

The trap of continuing to do what an organization is good at rather than focusing solely on what it can potentially do better than any other organization.

B Team

A term for employees who remain loyal to old policing styles and may be unenthusiastic or resistant to new organizational directions like community policing.