Does agency type matter? A comparison of chiefs’ perceptions of the institutional environment across three agency types

ABSTRACTResearch has found that police chiefs’ perceptions of the institutional environment impacts how chiefs define and prioritise agency goals. Previous literature assessing this impact has focused solely on local police departments in the USA. It is reasonable, however, to assume that leaders of different types of agencies prioritise sectors of their institutional environment differently leading to the prioritisation of different goals. Employing survey data that requested chiefs’ ratings of potential constituent influence, the current study seeks to identify the differences in American agencies between chiefs of Independent School District, special jurisdiction, and municipal police departments in perceptions of their institutional environment and subsequent goal setting. Analysis of variance and ordinary least-squares regression results do indicate variation across agency types. Institutional theory is utilised to frame our discussion of findings.