Innovation in a Management Model: the Case of the National Police of Colombia

Abstract

Right amidst a critical situation approximately in 1993, in 1995, the National Police of Colombia started an ambitious process of innovation of its management model that led it to recover its lost confidence and to achieve national and international awards for excellence, innovation and quality. This research records this phenomenon; it is qualitative, exploratory and descriptive; it is prepared by the case method and takes place in two time slots defined and limited by the period of crisis: one, between 1971 and 1993, and the other one between 1995 and 2012. The case describes the characteristics of the management models in both periods. The first evidences a contextualised model in the structuralist and classic schools, influenced by the military approach; the second one, a systemic and comprehensive management model developed with a cultural transformation plan, whereby new and improved products, processes and methods are introduced. With the new management model, the Integrated Management System, the Colombian police became a competitive organization, achieving recognition and better results in fulfilling its mission.