MICHAEL DEMPSEY - Cranfield University

Cognitive rules and culture
Whilst this system for allocation of physical space is unusual, in context
the strategic thrust of decisions arrived at is clear in that it was
designed to enable merger to be delivered.
Systems relating to cognitive rules
7.8. Here we look at whether in any way managers perceive that the union
has altered in terms of its status as ‘member led’, ‘officer led’ or
‘partnership.’ With characteristic certainty, the Joint General Secretary
gives his answer.
NWSA was undoubtedly General Secretary led. There is no
question about that. Where is it now? It is partnership now
between joint general secretaries and NEC.
If one were to try to seek a consensus, it would be that the two smaller
unions were officer led and that BIFU was member led; also that UNiFI
is less member led than BIFU but also less officer led than the two
smaller unions. But there are many levels of complexity behind these
statements.
In unions where there is high officer influence, managers often make
use of the word ‘trust’:-
I think NWSA, its members and the people that worked for the
organisation had a great deal of trust in each other. (Interviewee
H)
My perception was that the lay people trusted the full time
officers and allowed the full time officers to do whatever the full
time officers felt was right. They gave them far more freedom
than we see now in Unifi. The executive council, comprising the
lay people, made the decisions and that was it. Their
involvement from many practical viewpoints finished. Even in
the management committee that met monthly, there were no
great controls exercised by them over the General Secretary
and the other full time officers such as myself so it was very
much -- you used the expression of the General Secretary
running the show -- that was very much it, in my perception.
(Interviewee M)
For one of these managers, the new climate, involving lower trust, was
a real problem for her:-
The lay membership in BIFU were much more powerful and they
are much less trusting of the officers and that is one of the
things, the major thing that I found difficult when the merger
actually happened and I became the lead officer in the NatWest
section in the new union. That I was constantly questioned or I
felt that people were checking up on me and I had never come
across that before. And I took it very personally and I had quite
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