MICHAEL DEMPSEY - Cranfield University

Modes of management - styles
Modes of Management
7.17. We saw earlier that some UNiFI managers expressed ethical values
concerning their trade union work – including ones such as fairness,
openness, consistency, honesty and social responsibility. Here we
examine the way they manage and whether there are any links with the
values expressed earlier.
At the top of the union, managers are prepared to be specific about
their management styles:-
The style of management that I hope I employ is quite inclusive.
I will talk and discuss. I will say "well, I think we should do this
what do you think?" It is time-consuming but I am a great
believer in the fact that you don't do things in great haste……
You need to consult and you need to talk to people about it and
maybe that is a measure of the management style, if you want
more proof, of probably the style that I have got. Nothing ever
comes back. I seem to get, not my own way but all the things we
do seem to flow. It takes a while and on occasions you say
Christ why can I not do this on Friday and get it done on Monday
but probably that's another difference in the nature of the person
management. Because it is a people orientated organisation --
we don't make things, we don't make widgets -- output is difficult
to measure so being so people orientated it is difficult not to
have to do the people thing at the outset. I do not think that I
could be a manager in a factory that made widgets. I'm not sure
that would be my style. Probably that is a different management
trait -- I should have answered that at the outset. I'm sure I could
espouse the theory but I am not sure that I could manage the
plant. Simply couldn't do it. I think it would be a different job
(Interviewee E)
His colleague sees him slightly differently:-
One of the difficulties that we have had is the differing
management styles, particularly between (Interviewee E) and I.
(He) is much more hands on. So (he) will read every paper
whereas I will tend to delegate it down. (Interviewee N)
He describes his own management style in different terms from his
colleague:-
I think the environment dictates tremendously what the
management style will be. I'm not saying that we are in a
position of crisis management but we do need a pretty firm
approach to management. We don't need benign, keep it
running as it is management. (Interviewee N)
In fact, quite a few people do express fairly benign views when asked
about their management style:-
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