Results of a Domestic Police Career Orientation Survey

Abstract

Aim: In the 1980s, several studies investigating career orientations were conducted among the personnel of the Canadian police force. However, no similar study had been carried out in Hungary. The present research aims to fill this gap by exploring the processes of career orientation and the types of orientation shifts within a domestic law enforcement agency.

Methodology: An online questionnaire survey was used to measure changes in career orientation among the professional staff of a Hungarian law enforcement agency. The questionnaire was completed by 294 members of the personnel. The sample (representing just under 7% of the total population) was not representative; therefore, the results cannot be considered valid for the entire population. They should instead be regarded as indicative.

Findings: According to the Canadian study, 50% of respondents experienced an orientation shift, primarily towards the “craftsman” orientation. This orientation type describes a specialist in a specific field who values developing their specialised skills and constantly seeks professional challenges. From an organisational perspective, it is important that such individuals are ready and willing to invest extra energy and effort into their work. In contrast, the domestic survey found that 62% of respondents changed their orientation, with the primary shift towards the “self-investor” type. The latter orientation identifies primarily with life outside work (family, friends, hobbies), viewing work merely as a tool for earning income. Consequently, they carefully guard the boundaries between work and personal life, granting priority to life outside work.

Value: This study addresses an area of career research that previous Hungarian studies had not yet explored. The results may shed light on processes that in no way enhance the efficiency and performance capacity of the organisation. Its strength lies in being a primary survey of the professional staff of a law enforcement agency, which, according to social science practice, is considered a medium-sized sample, while in the context of Hungarian policing research, it is regarded as a large sample (N = 294).