MICHAEL DEMPSEY - Cranfield University

Managing through people
moved last August/September temporarily into the north west,
trying to lift the organisation up to then go for IIP and the
process, massive, massive differences. I had almost forgotten
what it was like, you know, three or four years ago in the East
Midlands. I'd like to think it was never quite that bad between
you and I, but it is quite instructive to be taken back again and to
do this parallel thing. We have arrived in the East Midlands and
our job now is to stay top of the perch whereas in the north west
we are just at the bottom of the ladder. (Interviewee M)
Many other managers do highlight their responsibilities for their staff
when asked about their managerial roles. One does so in an IIP
context:-
To be part of the Senior Management Team, to participate and
to help make corporate decisions but also to inform, to motivate,
to challenge the staff to make sure that they know what's going
on in the organisation, that they feel part of the organisation, that
they are stretched and that they think they have got
development opportunities. All the stuff you get in IIP, really,
which is a synthesis of what we are doing anyway. (Interviewee
J)
Another, after describing her responsibility for the smooth running of
the section, to the General Secretary and for achieving the union’s
objectives and priorities, turns her attention to her people:-
In terms of management of the personnel within Unison, I see
myself as somebody here to support the staff, to ensure that
they are functioning at their best and delivering what is required,
either from the national perspective with regard to Unison or the
Health Group perspective nationally (Interviewee D)
Another focuses first on her people:-
My managerial role I think is a high level of responsibility for staff
in a kind of managerial welfare, staff development but I think
crucially about engaging with the union's priorities and having
responsibility for ensuring that they work within that framework
and they deliver. (Interviewee F)
A senior manager describes the process that the union has gone
through in arriving at a position of people orientation in terms of a
journey:-
The irony is that what we have been about as trade union
officials is to get better management for our members. If the
truth be known, if you tried to analyse it, you are looking for good
management of the membership and if that is the case, the trade
union should have good management as well. We never had.
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