Zimbabwe Republic Police Women Network: leadership and adaptability

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to draw lessons from the important contributions of appreciative inquiry leadership in shaping the future people aspects to police leadership. A practice model of the Zimbabwe Republic Police Women Network (ZRP WN) illuminates how the future of policing in a context of mutually reinforcing confluence of increasing rate of crime, state decay, and economic decline is contingent upon shifting from the current preoccupation of “what works” to “what is important.”

Design/methodology/approach

Guided by the organising principles of the 4-D cycle involving discovery, dream, design and destiny/delivery, the appreciative inquiry leadership model illuminates a sustainable future-oriented policing.

Findings

The case study of ZRP WN reveals the resilience and adaptability of female police officers to policing challenges as they constantly designed people-oriented policing operations and activities.

Practical implications

Of importance is the exponential influence of communis and phronesis in rethinking and redesigning police roles in decades to come.

Originality/value

The ZRP WN, through its shared vision of values, gives us a leaf on how to respond to the ever-changing values of justice and police leadership altering contexts.

Citation

Chirambwi, K. (2017), "Zimbabwe Republic Police Women Network: leadership and adaptability", International Journal of Emergency Services, Vol. 6 No. 3, pp. 220-230. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJES-08-2017-0043