MICHAEL DEMPSEY - Cranfield University

Conclusions
The PCS Rule Book has been important in defining boundaries
between lay activists and ordinary members and in facilitating
structures to involve lay members. Those structures, and the minority
involvement which some of them involve, are of utility in defending
minority interests but, to most managers, the rule Book is of little
practical importance. Management is sometimes down to instinctive
understanding of the environment and to skills in managing the
structures and relationships within them.
Modes of Management
One of the most central discussions at the Eastbourne senior
managers event in 2000 was management style, specifically the
management style of one of the General Secretaries. So it is an issue
that managers have addressed and several people, maybe because of
this experience, relate management style to experience in partner
unions. Managers do not express a consistent view, either about styles
in the union or their own styles but insofar as views are expressed, they
tend to the ‘softer’ side – openness, developmental and supportive. It
is, however, clear that there is a variety of styles within the union,
reflecting a union which has yet to cohere fully around standards and
modes of management.
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.
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