AbstractsPsychology

The main purpose of this study is to explore if the July 22 terror attacks and the subsequent structural changes in the Norwegian Police may have affected the police investigators’ perception of both the organizational climate and the quality of the investigative work. The second purpose is to investigate whether the findings can provide any empirical support to Burnes’ (2004a) “A framework for change” theory. A mixed-methods approach was applied. Data were collected from the 27 Norwegian Police Districts, whereof 12 districts participated in the study before July 22, 2011 and 15 districts after. Data from open-ended interviews (N=90) were quantified through content analysis. The total of 19,052 statements were top-down coded on three strategic models, namely SWOT, IGLO and OCM (Organizational Climate Measure). Data from quantitative OCM surveys (N=76) were standardized into 17 factors. T-tests exploring differences between the two groups in overall statement means indicated a significant main effect, where the Post July 22 group had fewer statements coded on SWOT and IGLO. Four multivariate analyses of variance showed significant interaction effects between the two groups, indicating systematical differences between the two groups on both interview the survey data. The main finding is that the post July 22 group expresses fewer statements regarding the investigative work. A suggested explanation is that the political focus has shifted towards the operative police force, perhaps leading to a decreased focus towards the investigative work. Furthermore, the findings from this study challenge Burnes’ (2004a) division between structural and attitudinal changes.