On leaving the nunnery: management in trade unions

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore trade union management, using data from four major unions. Managers and management have generally been absent from trade union discourse but unions are substantial organisations that need good management. The paper seeks to understand the extent to which senior trade union officials accept managerial roles and to discuss the significance of this. Design/methodology/approach The paper draws on 56 interviews with senior trade union managers using a case study approach. Findings The paper concludes that management is consciously understood and implemented by trade union leaders who take their managerial roles and achieving the goals of the members seriously. It suggests that this is likely to affect the dynamics of the relationships between the various actors in trade union democracy. Research limitations/implications Evidence is gained from trade union managers themselves. Further research needs to focus both on the managed and on the lay members to whom managers are accountable. Originality/value This paper begins to fill a lacuna in the literature examining the way unions operate by concentrating on managers and management rather than on administration.