MICHAEL DEMPSEY - Cranfield University

Cognitive rules and culture
system. In ex UCW it was almost a matter of principle, in ex
NCU it was a matter for individuals, if you see what I mean,
because if you are an ex UCW officer who was elected, then you
had to stand by the principle of election because even though
you could become unelected, whereas if you were an appointee,
nobody is going to turf you out and replace you with an elected
person so my perception was, just from receiving reports back
and casting my mind back seven or eight years, that the ex NCU
appointed officers were more vocal than their lay members or
lay executive. Although their lay executive firmly believed in
appointed officers but the ex UCW lay members were a lot more
vocal that their officers should be elected. (Interviewee N)
It is demonstrable that far more officers are elected in the CWU than
was the case in the NCU, so to that extent it seems that ex UCW
values predominate. Nevertheless, it was suggested that attitudes may
not be quite so polarised as one would expect:-
My opinion is, if anything, that the lay members who would have
been members of the ex UCW Executive, although they are new
members since merger, -- members of the postal Executive who
would have been ex UCW -- I think they have not softened their
position but they have more time and more respect for some of
the appointed officers that they see. (Interviewee N)
In many other respects, managers engage with the idea of culture,
often highlighted as a result of merger, imparting meanings to them
about the way the organisation works. Some of these experiences have
gender content:-
I think there can be a bit of blame type culture. I think they are
inclined to be fairly macho in terms of their management. I think
that most other organisations these days have more women
managers. (Interviewee J)
There is some suggestion that things are improving:-
A bit of a macho world. That is one of the good things that has
come out of the merger because that is lessened, actually. I
think that is one of the advantages of culture which we have
taken from the NCU. The style has changed and is changing.
(Interviewee K)
But another suggestion that this particular cultural manifestation comes
from the very top:-
Unions, you know, are very male cultures and a lot of women
who are very able, I have to say, are intimidated……. There's
not much he can do to me and I can't take another man bawling
and shouting at me. So I don't get intimidated when he storms in
to me. I just stand there and say don't start that, I'm not going to
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