| Summary: | Purpose – This research examines the effect on the organisation of the Abu Dhabi Police Force (ADP) of key performance management tools, from the perspective of police officers. In this research, they are described as ‘strategic performance enablers, and support the intellectual capital (IC), consisting of organisational, human and social capital. Design/methodology/approach – A thematic method was used to analyse 10 interviews with high ranking police officers working in roles related to performance management at the ADP. A descriptive analysis of 784 survey responses by police officers working in different ranks, roles and departments at the ADP was then conducted. Findings – The research participants stated they agreed that the strategic performance enablers highlighted in this research were important but different effects were perceived, depending on the location of the respondents in the organisation. Police officers working in different areas are affected by different strategic performance enablers, with particular differences seen between core business functions and support functions such as Information Technology. Some of the strategic performance enablers have a significant positive effect on the organisation, for example ‘incentives’, ‘education and training’ and ‘religion’. Other strategic performance enabler have a large negative effect, for example ‘punishment’ and ‘the EFQM model of performance’. Research limitations/implications – The cultural aspects of ‘religious values’ and ‘punishment channels’ have a major influence upon police officers’ performance and on the organisation as a whole. Further studies and research in this area would help to understand why and how this is so. The strategic performance enablers explored in this research are major elements in the world of performance management and each could be studied separately. Combining them in one piece of research may have dissipated the impact of individual enablers. Contributions of the research – Research on the effect of strategic enablers of performance management in a policing context would benefit all the stakeholders involved, including the Abu Dhabi Police Force (ADP), other police forces regionally and globally, and academics and scholars of policing and performance. It could show which performance enabler affect police officers in relation to their roles and job levels. The main contributions of this research are: (1) All three of the intellectual capital segments, organisational, human and social, affect the performance of police officers in the ADP, either positively or negatively. The precise contribution and effect depend on variables such as the police officer’s job role, rank and work environment. (2) Human capital has the most effect on police officers’ performance in the ADP. Police officers consider the human capital elements a cornerstone for performance success. (3) Motivation through incentives has the most positive effect on police officers’ performance. (4) The organisational capital of the EFQM Excellence model of performance has a negative effect on police officers’ performance in the ADP. Using the model at strategic, operational and tactical levels is a burden for police officers. (5) The social capital of relational aspects of religious faith and values affect police officers’ performance in the ADP. Police officers in the ADP are affected positively by trust, norms, sanctions, discipline and obligations. (6) The relational aspects of the staff control mechanism (punishment) affect police officers negatively in the ADP. The control mechanisms in the ADP include sanctions, obligations and disciplinary resolutions.
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