Leading through complexity: Addressing wicked problems with hybrid leadership models in policing

Abstract

Modern policing organizations operate within increasingly complex environments distinguished by multi-agency partnerships, heightened public scrutiny, technological change, and growing responsibility for vulnerability, safeguarding, and workforce well-being. Traditional command-and-control leadership remains essential in critical incidents but may be insufficient for complex, interconnected problems. This paper explores how different leadership approaches are required simultaneously within contemporary policing and introduces the concept of hybrid leadership as a practical response to increasing organizational complexity. We apply Grint’s problem typology framework to examine the relationships among critical, tame, and wicked problems in policing. A routine domestic abuse incident is used to demonstrate how all three problem types coexist within everyday policing. The framework is then applied to a case study of the police response to Storm Desmond in Cumbria, UK, demonstrating how leaders were required to continually move between command, management, and leadership functions throughout the incident. The analysis shows that contemporary policing challenges rarely fit within a single leadership model. Effective responses require leaders to transition among command-based decision-making, management of established processes, and collaborative leadership approaches to address complex societal issues. Storm Desmond illustrates how command, management, and leadership functions operated simultaneously rather than sequentially. The paper argues that policing organizations should move beyond debates about preferred leadership styles and instead develop hybrid leadership capability. This approach recognizes that different problems require different leadership responses and that effective police leadership increasingly depends upon the ability to navigate between them.