MICHAEL DEMPSEY - Cranfield University

‘Legitimate’ managerial actions - stakeholders
Another manager finds the Rule Book of practical help:-
We take decisions at times where, for example, we identify what
constitutionally we have to do to meet certain timetables. We
would do that first. We will have a look at the other work and see
what can be left and explain to those people that we will do that
because it has a lesser priority than somewhere else.
(Interviewee O)
And a former General Secretary confirms that it was his specific
intention that the Rule Book should be the defining force in determining
his own sphere of influence:-
I think that the role of the Chief Executive does depend on the
union structures, hence we worked very hard to get this new
union Rule Book. I think to a large extent, the Rule Book of PCS
reflects my personal commitment to how you organise unions. I
know it’s a bit of a circular argument and I understand that. I
don’t quite know how you get out of it. But the argument that we
had about the aims and values of our union is instinctively my
own personal agenda about how you run unions which is that
politics of the Chief Executive involve the public profile versus
the administrative hand. So the union Rule Book, during the
process of change, does reflect some of my personal
commitment to it well, that’s what you have a General Secretary
for, for goodness sake.
Another manager is not convinced that the Rule Book is much help in
practice:-
Ultimately, actually, this is an interesting point about where does
the power lie? That is the huge tension that is in the organisation
at present. The Honorary Officers, the senior lay officers, say
that the power is theirs; the Joint General Secretaries, or at least
one of them, says that the power is with him to make the
decision, as the head of the paid staff, which is a description in
the Rule Book. But I think the Rule Book is unclear. It’s unclear
on staff, for instance, whether the NEC can decide that such
staff will be employed. ‘Staff will be employed on such terms and
conditions as they should be’ but ultimately it’s the General
Secretary according to the Rule Book who’ll decide where they
are placed and make the appointments. It’s the union that
makes the appointments, not the lay officials because they can
change at 4.00 this afternoon when we have the election results
so I mean there has to be some permanency. It’s where the
professional decision lies - I don’t think it’s professional myself
but it bangs up against the claim of power by the lay officers so
that you have this tension. (Interviewee H)
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