MICHAEL DEMPSEY - Cranfield University

Conclusions
initiatives which have had the effect of concentrating more on
communication – the inclusive nature of Senior Management Group
meetings and the process setting and reviewing the union’s aims and
objectives.
Managing through People
UNISON is seeking Investors in People and one of the managers
interviewed as part of this project has succeeded in achieving the
award in his area. Other managers are, to a greater or lesser extent,
aware of their responsibilities as contained in the union’s Aims and
Objectives. One might, therefore, expect that people management was
recognised as a core role and this is indeed the case. There is, though,
recognition of the fact that there have been examples of management
in the past which have been less than satisfactory – reference was
made a couple of times to a well publicised case of bullying in Wales.
The IIP assessment in one case offers support for the view that, at
least at the time of the assessment in that particular location, people
management was seen positively by the staff.
Even in the field of performance management, often a difficulty in trade
unions, there are indications that managers want to take it seriously
and that they see the development reviewing system as being at the
centre of a developing approach to it. The main tool is seen as the
corporate objectives and priorities setting system together with IIP, part
of the benchmarked standards that award requires being that staff
understand the objectives of the organisation and are aware of how
they contribute to achieving them. The systems followed by managers
also include the production of training plans, though there is little
evidence of the extent to which training is actually provided in
accordance with those plans, other than a compulsory series of
management development courses.
Particularly within regions, team working has become a corporate
requirement. Officers in the regions traditionally ploughed their own
furrows so requiring them to work within teams is a significant cultural
change which is consciously changing the way in which this work is
done. Managers appear to have embarked on these activities with
approbation and there was no evidence of other than positive attitudes
to the use and development of teams within the union.
Managing Action
There is some singularly interesting discussion by UNISON managers
on the subject of leadership and the extent to which, in trade unions, it
is separable from the leader’s action or ‘doing’ roles. One idea is that,
in practice, it is difficult to distinguish between operational and strategic
roles – or, in another case, between political and managerial roles.
Another is that ‘leadership qualities’ are important, gleaned from one’s
history and experience and from one’s actions in strategic
development, reflection and involvement. ‘Inspiration’ is another feature
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