MICHAEL DEMPSEY - Cranfield University

Conclusions
Managing Action
On the issue of leadership, there is a dichotomy in the CWU between
the fact that senior management is principally drawn from the Postal
side of the industrial fence and may find it necessary to become
involved operationally in industrial relation issues in that area; and
recognition of the importance of strategy, direction and vision. The
distinction between these ‘leading’ and ‘doing’ roles does not seem
possible to make, although the union is now becoming much more
focussed on strategy on a corporate level.
‘Legitimate’ Managerial Actions
Stakeholder management
As suggested several times, CWU managers work within systems of
representative rationality with which there is little argument in principle.
The issue for debate in most cases is the boundaries between the roles
of managers and the roles of lay members. These boundaries –
between conference and management; the NEC and management;
and the NEC and Conference are contested. In the case of staffing
issues, the General Secretary has obtained legal advice to clarify the
boundary between his responsibility as Chief Executive and that of the
NEC as the body to which he reports. This suggests that the Rule Book
is particularly important, but this is not supported by managers
generally. They do, however, engage in archetypal trade union
behaviour – negotiation, political knowledge, power relations and the
ability to find ways round uncomfortable decisions – in managing
stakeholder relationships.
Modes of Management
There seems to be a legacy in the CWU of some unfortunate
management styles deriving from partner unions. Untrained managers
did not appear to reflect on their interpersonal behaviour in the light of
their espoused principles. However, some managers recognise that
being inclusive is a positive approach and the idea of seeking
consensus, a core trade union skill, is in one case identified. Obviously,
as in any organisation, the overriding impression is of great diversity in
style but with a recent commitment to well trained and well motivated
staff, the achievement of which will require some degree of people
orientation in management styles.
These conclusions are now summarised in a way which relates them to
Hales’ (1999) model of management. It seeks to provide explanations
for managerial actions from the systems and modalities which comprise
the environments in which trade union managers work, as discussed
earlier.
129