Tatort Polizei: Gestalter statt Verwalter in der öffentlichen Verwaltung?

This article regards organizational changes inside the police force as an example for required changes in public administration. The promotion of human resources competence development is one of the main targets of the Administration Reform in Lower Saxony. Public administration leaders are to become ‘managers’, and see themselves as such, rather than ‘administrators’. The contents and structures of a two year training course designed for leaders of the Lower Saxony police force are considered. The evaluation of the course, which highlights both the educational (11 seminars of 3 days each) and practical parts (working on a specially designed one-year project), is based on the principles of qualititative research. Special emphasis is placed on the aspects that relate to knowledge transfer into the working-day situation, the further development of the leadership role, and aspects of organizational learning.