MICHAEL DEMPSEY - Cranfield University

Deploying resources
Another manager makes the same point but links it to rather wider
considerations:-
I do think also that everybody being in Mabledon Place and (two
managers from the former NALGO getting the two top jobs in
Unison) -- slight feeling of, you know, that NALGO are winners
really. I don't think that's quite fair in terms of what they are
trying to do but I think it has a slight feeling of that if we are not
careful. I think certainly would have been much better if it had
not been in this building for Unison. I think it would have helped
to make us feel like a new organisation which it doesn't always.
(Interviewee G)
On the other hand as one manager commented above, the
centralisation of staff in one office did have benefits, despite the
problems perceived by these managers. That same manager gives the
impression that decisions on layout of offices were not strategic but
were motivated more by practical considerations of how to get people
in pre-determined space:-
I am a person who manages by walking about so I was around.
It wasn't crucial because, well you know, we started on the first
floor, we moved to the fourth floor, the space was tight -- not as
tight as other places -- shared offices but one of the things, the
reason why probably we did not have a big problem was
because we had a group of people that did it. (Interviewee B)
His successor in that space was not very impressed, although she was
very positive about the contribution that physical space could make to
the achievement of her objectives:-
The office here looked a mess, it looked like a bomb site and I
wanted everybody to tidy it up. You know, we have nice
windows where people had barricaded themselves in with
posters. I wanted those all down so I reshifted all the offices and
I have put appropriate people in with appropriate people. So in
other words, no team of National Officers sit together any more.
It's a National Officer and an Assistant National Officer because
that means that you have got education and training for
Assistant National Officer; that Assistant National Officer is also
providing support for the National Officer. And we have got
nobody hiding behind posters and wardrobes and God knows
what and we are having a clean sweep. I want the office to look
efficient, tidy, effective and to be a welcoming place to come
into. I want it to be a fun place, and inspirational place to work
and I think we are getting there (Interviewee D)
One manager was equally critical of the space that was designed in the
Kings Cross building but felt that allocation of open plan space could
have been successful in another environment:-
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