MICHAEL DEMPSEY - Cranfield University

Cognitive rules and culture
What we are taking in, in the main, is the best crop of people
who work in trade unions. This means that we are choosing
from only half of the working population. In effect, we are not
joining from 6 million, we are joining from 5000 activists. So the
gene pool is not altering at all. (Interviewee N)
Another concern is not directed to quality of staff so much as to the
quality of aspects of management:-
There is not a lot of support for people trying to manage. It sort
of happens, magically. I think trade unions are getting better
that there is still a feeling that people are placed in a position
and they sprout skills. (Interviewee J)
Despite this, there is no identifiable perception that lack of training
affects the ability of managers to do their jobs, possibly because a
culture of staff development has been in place as a result of the
journeys made by UNiFI and BIFU before it towards Investors in
People status.
There is, however, a perception amongst some managers that lay
member involvement does constrain managerial behaviour. It is not
always, though, seen in negative terms:-
Although you could say that the democratic process is a
constraint, I would not classify it as that. It is part and parcel of
the job. To be a good manager you have to manage that. You
need to understand that and if you can't manage it you can't do
the job (Interviewee E)
Managerial perceptions here range from the specific:-
I think in terms of a trade union, sometimes you think that in all
honesty you wish that it was full time officials who appointed
staff and not the lay structure. (Interviewee O)
The thing that stops me managing the way I would want to
manage is the interface with the democracy. And also the
interface with the staff bodies. (interviewee N)
to the mildly frustrated:-
The political process is used for everything, isn't it? The most
minor of changes and then we wonder why we can't run the
trains on time. (Interviewee G)
to the rather antagonistic:-
It seems to me that they all have their own agendas to work to
but I think that is just the nature of lay people working in unions
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