Conformity and obedience
P3
Conformity means that you do something the same as someone else, in accordance to social standards or rules set or an agreement. Obedience is when you listen to someone; to obey is when you follow an order from someone who is of a higher authority than you are. There are 2 types of conformity
Private conformity: change of beliefs that occur when a person privately accepts the position taken by others.
Public conformity: superficial change in overt behavior, without a corresponding change of opinion, produced by real or imagined group pressure.
Conformity in the UPS
The uniformed public services encourage conformity among their members in various ways: Uniform and rank structures, working in teams, espirit de corps, and by having social clubs, sports clubs, and other activities which encourage individuals to mix and socialise outside working hours. The message from the uniformed public services is that conformity is a good thing for their image and for the work of each service. Conformity can be used to be a strong bonding force in the uniformed public services, but if it becomes too strong then this can sometimes lead to problems. people are different, and they are usually quite proud of their differences, it is what makes them different from others and this could lead to people thinking they are more superior than others or cause other people to think that there may be a problem with certain people.
Obedience in the UPS
In the uniformed public services being able to follow orders quickly and promptly is an absolute must. This does not mean that employees are meant and do exactly what they are told all the time, but the point of it is whenever an order has to be obeyed then it has to be obeyed. Due to this reason, people who are not able or prepared to follow an order, are not likely to be employed in the uniformed public services. Even though employees in the uniformed public services have an obligation to follow orders, the people giving the orders have an obligation to give orders that are reasonable and are justified. Orders are part of the general drive towards discipline orders help to give the uniform services a good image and keep everything in check.
P4 Conformity simulation in class
In class we took part in a conformity simulation in which the lecturer stood infront of the class and asked whether the class would conform to the rules of wearing uniform if it was ever introduced to the course over 95% of the class said that they would conform to wearing a uniform simply because they either don’t mind or because it would help prepare for a career in the UNIFORMED public services as you would have to wear it all the time. It would also bring a sense of camaraderie into the course which means you will have a sense of belonging onto the course. The other 5 % said they would not because they want to be unique and different also because it is not important plus they have been in uniform for the last however many years whilst in school the simulation was highly successful.
M3
Why conformity and obedience is important to the UPS
Influence as of conformity on the UPS
The public services conform by unspoken rules such as all women in the police force etc have their hair tied back and all males in the police force have short hair. This is not a legal requirement to employees of the service however most employees comply with these unspoken rules.
Teamwork is an important part within the public services and in order for it to be successful everyone within the team is required to conform. If one member of the team does not conform with the others this is likely to lead to conflict within the team and therefore the team will not be as effective in achieving their aims.
The use of uniforms within the public services also shows conformity. This is conformity in the form of compliance because uniforms are an important part of the public services. A uniform are used in
