MICHAEL DEMPSEY - Cranfield University

Managing through people
required to establish the position today. On the evidence gathered, it
was not an area in which managers were accustomed to identifying as
one of their key tasks, though they were more likely to identify the
consequences of lack of communication, particularly during the merger,
as a problem.
Managing through people
6.15. Alone amongst the four case study unions, PCS has expressed no
intention of seeking Investors in People status, nor was that mentioned
as an aspiration by any of the PCS managers interviewed. However,
values statements were made about the importance of managing
people. A former General Secretary was particularly emphatic:-
That’s a clear role of the Chief Executive, to get the best out of
people that you employ and that’s what we try to do. Can’t
manage without that.
And other managers are similarly enthusiastic:-
I think that the similarities are in people issues. You're going to
get exceptional ones, good ones and bad ones that in the middle
there are a lot of people who have got a lot more in them. If you
can release their potential……… (Interviewee B)
Love it. In my official union job I get quite involved on the
training courses we provide and I love that. I love watching
people develop and the skills people can develop through
unions through lay activism. It is so under rated, wonderful
people at quite low levels to can do public speaking and can
have meetings with senior managers all those things which
initially they tell you they could not possibly do. Wonderful.
(Interviewee N)
That is very much my way of managing. Full consultation and
involvement. (Interviewee O)
In a smaller operation, at regional level, people management is
similarly central:-
I have to very much take the approach of saying, you have to
be, especially in this kind of operation in (this region), a people
manager. You have to not only talk to your officials and staff
directly………..If the staff aren't motivated and aren't working
well together, you are 50% away from giving anything like an
effective service even if the rest of things are top notch. So I
think a lot of it is down to people management and it is the way
you behave towards your staff, while still keeping some degree
of distance to deal with difficult problems when they do come up
so you are not just being seen as -- well you're my pal and you
should do this. You spend a lot of time with each other, often
times that are quite tense and quite fraught when ballots for
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