MICHAEL DEMPSEY - Cranfield University

Only when the organisation begins to support management and
managers can s/he operate as a trade union manager in the fullest
sense. On the other hand, staff remain in the capacity of trade union
official where there is low institutional support for management and a
low degree of acceptance by that official of the managerial role. Where
institutional support increases, trade union officials are in something of
a cocoon, where they can pass off management responsibilities to
others to avoid succumbing to institutional pressure to manage
themselves.
The nature of trade union managers
The study suggests that trade union managers typically espouse trade
union principles which incorporate ideas of ‘fairness’, imputing a
concern for the way people are treated. Cultural values, however, may
include notions of management being a problematic concept,
something which may be manifested by feelings or beliefs, shared by
organisational members regardless of their backgrounds, that
management is undervalued and/or that it typically involves the
exertion of power over the powerless, judgment on the weak.
Consequently, trade union managers may be ambivalent at being
judgmental and not only eschew some aspects of conduct or
performance management but also fail to identify with, or introduce,
management systems designed to facilitate conduct or performance
management.
Boundary management
Trade union managers manage in polyarchal organisations where
boundaries between the roles of lay activists and the roles of managers
are unclear. They engage, therefore, in contests to define those
boundaries in individual circumstances. It follows that, for trade union
managers, boundary management is a key function. Boundary
management can be defined as stakeholder management in that, in
this context, legitimate stakeholders in the unions are on either side of
the boundaries. The fact that the area is contested and boundaries
unclear does not mean that trade union managers working in
polyarchies do not engage in stakeholder management activities.
Boundaries may be many and various but may include the following:-
• Boundaries related to conflictual relations. These are human
boundaries which have to be managed before managerial
activities can effectively be undertaken.
• Constitutional boundaries. These are boundaries that have
some reference to the Rule Book. Although they can sometimes
be defined by experts, the consequence can be zero sum
management which could engender further boundaries of a
conflictual nature.
• Moveable boundaries. These are intended to signify boundaries
that can move depending on contingent factors, such as
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