A Qualitative Exploration of Manager-Subordinate Relationships at Abu Dhabi Police
Open Access
- Author:
- Almaeeni, Fahad Mohamed
- Graduate Program:
- Workforce Education and Development
- Degree:
- Doctor of Philosophy
- Document Type:
- Dissertation
- Date of Defense:
- January 27, 2021
- Committee Members:
- William J Rothwell, Dissertation Advisor/Co-Advisor
William J Rothwell, Committee Chair/Co-Chair
Wesley Edward Donahue, Committee Member
Mark D Threeton, Committee Member
John Ewing, Outside Member
Heather Toomey Zimmerman, Program Head/Chair - Keywords:
- employee retention
turnover
leadership
police leadership
Internal turnover - Abstract:
- Among the goals of good supervisors/managers are to successfully retain employees, enhance their comfort in the workplace, and motivate employees to perform at high levels. This qualitative study on the nature of the relationships between subordinates and supervisors in the Human Resources Sector of the Abu Dhabi Police was conducted in an effort to explore the reasons for the high level of transfer intent among the Sector’s employees. Three basic research questions drove the research design: how employees viewed their supervisors; how they resolved conflicts with their supervisors, and what they would like to see change in their relationship with their supervisors. Qualitative data was collected by means of face-to-face interviews of nine Sector employees employing an open-ended interview approach guided by phenomenological principles. The interview transcripts were coded, providing the foundation for a thematic analysis. This analysis resulted in the identification of three themes that illuminated the conditions under which even high-performing employees might seek a transfer. The first theme was the identification of inequities in the treatment of employees, particularly those related to the hierarchical ranking system; the second theme identified the subordinate-supervisor relationships as the means by which employees could overcome inequities in the workplace based on job classification, rank, and/or education; and the third theme identified the employees’ motivation to stay in their jobs as a result of the validation they receive from supervisors. An evaluation of the positive and negative aspects of the subordinate-supervisor dynamic that appears to prevail in the HR Sector of the ADP revealed that the organization would benefit from establishing workplace practices that would increase employees’ roles in decision-making at work, place a greater emphasis on teamwork, and provide more opportunities for employee development.