Police culture: Beyond the buzzword

16th February 2026Michael Stephenson, Organisational Psychologist 1 Comment

Efforts to address the issue of ‘police culture’ are a regular feature of transformation programmes in law enforcement; organisational psychologist Michael Stephenson argues that most culture change initiatives fail because those creating them fundamentally misunderstand what culture is, its complexity, and the importance of recognising and addressing the role of ‘micro-narratives’ rather than trying to engineer new cultures through imposed idealised values and mindsets.

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Police culture: Beyond the buzzword

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