MICHAEL DEMPSEY - Cranfield University

Staff development
I'm going to meet really, really big resistance with one of the big
changes that we are bringing in in the next six to eight weeks
because we are bringing in a piece of software that will log and
monitor all support calls and I'm going to refuse to accept any
support calls over the telephone unless the computer that they
are complaining about is not working. And all calls with then go
through this system and be prioritised and we will actually set
service standards. Service standards! You can't do that sort of
thing! We're going to set service standards and we're going to
say that if an individual reports a problem with a terminal and
there is no other terminal available within their immediate area,
then we will attend to it within x period of time. And there will be
a set standard.… but now I'm being accused by one individual,
it's big brother isn't it. You're going to be able to see how much
work I'm doing. Well, I am yes. It's a great shame, isn't it!
(Interviewee B)
A similar thought can be articulated in slightly more cynical terms:-
How do you appraise, in management terms, in a trade union?
Half the staff are field staff and then dealing with the world
outside rather than the internal world. Probably from the
General Secretary perspective, or the senior management
team’s perspective, there is probably another year of undetected
crime is the appraisal system and even when we have tried to
put in even twice a year, meeting staff, and talking about what
they are there to achieve and all that kind of stuff, it is actually
just hearing what A or E said about us. You have had a good
year because I have heard nothing about you, is often the
system, isn't it? (Interviewee G)
Staff development
So this aspect of management does not seem to be the subject of
much activity by UNiFI managers and there may be particular
difficulties here, influenced, one would speculate, by some of the
cognitive rules outlined earlier. One would expect, however, in a union
which has been awarded Investors in People, that staff development
would be the subject of a greater degree of managerial action.
Certainly the union’s IIP assessment suggests so:-
The commitment to staff development has been translated into
effective action. Regular personal development reviews and
active support for those under training is now the norm rather
than the exception. (UNiFI IIP Assessment July 2000)
There is, in addition, a Training Policy forming part of the union’s
Business Plan, specifying a budget set for training, indicating that
training and development needs should be identified during PDP
interviews and referring to a guide ‘How to get the best out of Training
and Development’ which had been placed on the intranet. This
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