MICHAEL DEMPSEY - Cranfield University

Managing action - leadership
different from what I am describing in terms of the lead person
within the negotiations. I think the important thing is that people
within the Group respect me and recognise my contribution to
the Group and how I work in the past. So therefore I have got a
history and people understand my way of working. I believe I do
show leadership from my own history but also in terms of the
management, the way I lead this group, I believe I show
leadership because I am constantly reflecting on where we are
now and consulting with the managers all the time. We sit down
and have brainstorming, futuristic discussions, look at where we
are going to be going, where the National Health Service is
going to be going and how we are going to gear ourselves up to
about. And, as I say, my position is not about telling the officers
here what they have to do but about ensuring -- knowing what
they need and ensuring they are supported. I think all of that
demonstrates leadership but it also demonstrates management
and I think they go hand-in-hand. (Interviewee D)
This reflects the strategic focus of the first two managers but adds to it
personal qualities demonstrated in her past working life. Maybe the
idea is that she is in some way a role model. She does, however, make
a distinction between leadership and management The General
Secretary does not express a view on this but he believes that there is
no distinction between his political and managerial roles, the latter seen
popularly as the ‘leadership’ role:-
No. None at all (difference between the roles). This morning I
have been talking with an MP about political action that we want
to be taking over public services, talking to our press office
about the political stance that we will take as an organisation on
public services, very, very clear that you have got to actually
position the union in a mainstream position which the activists
and staff feel comfortable with. You want an organisation which
is respected so the political dimension is important to us and
there is the staffing dimension. The two go together. I mean, I
speak on a political stage and I want to be listened to on behalf
of the union. I don't speak on my own behalf, I speak on behalf
of the union. When I meet the Prime Minister and the others,
they don't want to meet me because they like Dave Prentis.
They meet me because I am General Secretary of Unison
One manager, whilst describing his own role as in some ways being
akin to that of a senior civil servant, mentions ‘inspiration’ as a feature
of the leadership role:-
I think the former General Secretary of NUPE was seen as a
rather more inspirational character than our then leader
(Interviewee L)
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