MICHAEL DEMPSEY - Cranfield University

‘Legitimate’ managerial actions - stakeholders
treated as such. I haven't got that sort of relationship but then in
the main they are NEC members, I know that quite well, I have
known them for a long time, you know, that kind of stuff. You
get that unique kind of relationship around the training stuff,
don't you, you see them grow, you are influential in their lives
(Interviewee G)
One manager has a practical strategy for managing relationships which
involves being open and clear about what can and cannot be done in
response to stakeholder demands:-
I think making clear to the research officers what we feel the
priorities are and saying to them that it is okay to say no, which
is actually one of the hardest things to inculcate. If they are in
committee and everybody is saying "you can do this, can't
you?", if they feel that it is clearly not within their remit --
because that is the other thing, that sometimes research
departments get work on the basis of "well we don't want to deal
with this, let the Research Department to do a report on it”, kind
of thing -- to be able to stop that kind of work. They can say no
and they are clear that if they are unhappy about what they are
being asked, then they refer that person to J and I. I think they
feel confident in doing that…..If we can and if we think it is
appropriate, then we will say yes or we might say part of it, we
will do…...So we may say that normally we would do this but we
just haven't got it or we can't do it within the timescale or
whatever. Most people are reasonable about that. I think if
people know what you are going to do for them and when you
are going to do it and they know you are going to stick to that,
then they are usually quite accepting. (Interviewee J)
This manager also took on a developmental role in respect of the lay
structure by organising a new system of workshops at Conference and
accepting a developmental role in respect of lay activists who would
run them:-
I have mentioned the work we do at conference. We are still
developing the role of the NEC, that is the longest part of the
merger, I think, but they clearly have a policy-making role and at
most of meetings we would have policy papers and suggestions
for the ideas going to the NEC. And there are the other spin off
things -- I had a meeting the other week because the members
of the NEC will be chairing these discussion groups even though
we have set them up and done all the work. So we will be
working together in that kind of way. (Interviewee J)
The same interviewee has, however, a clear view on saying ‘no’ to
members, as distinct from activists, even though in headquarters there
was a regret elsewhere that managers don’t talk to members enough
any more:-
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