MICHAEL DEMPSEY - Cranfield University

‘Legitimate’ managerial actions - stakeholders
Whether as a consequence or not, managers can describe examples of
unclear boundaries:-
Oh undoubtedly they are unclear. They are unclear in the sense
that there hasn't really been a whole union debate on all of this.
We have all worked it out in different ways and it's very much
done on the basis of personalities rather than there being a kind
of logical approach. (Interviewee J)
This manager describes her process of negotiation with one particular
individual, a senior lay member and chair of a committee and the fact
that different negotiations with different outcomes occur elsewhere.
Another manager can state the principles he believes should be
followed but again goes on to discuss his negotiations with a committee
chair:-
I am firmly of the view, and it is very easy to say this, that the
membership can deal with policy and management will deal with
implementing the policy. The divide is not clear, it is not as
obvious as that. There are times when senior managers will
shape the policy and J recognises that and we work together in
that. Equally, sometimes, there are times when I appreciate J
coming to me and saying, well, you are talking about this in a
managerial point of view that he has got some thoughts or ideas
(Interviewee N)
Sometimes, managers are engaged in trying to adjust their positions
vis-à-vis the committees themselves:-
Sometimes it feels to me like I spend all this time doing all this
stuff and doing it pretty well and the results are quite good, and I
have brought down costs on things and improved certain things
and whatever and I do think that to some extent we should be
judged on that but in reality, actually, you are judged by a certain
tier of the lay members entirely by your kind of reporting to them,
really. And that feels like a kind of additional burden which is not
really very related to the actual work that I do. So I just think
that I have got to work a bit to locate that happily for me and for
them. I think I did try to encourage a rather kind of "have a
broad overview of my work; I won't tell you very much but I'll be
very charming" and that really hasn't washed. (Interviewee G)
One manager is seriously paranoid about the fact that some staff
deliberately transgress the boundaries in ways which make it difficult
for him to manage:-
In that bar were people that I knew never ever went into that bar
but they were in there lobbying NEC members and getting
involved (Interviewee A)
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