Where Next for Chief Executives

Abstract

The overwhelming impression emanating from the interview material in Chapters 2–8 and 10–11 is one of chief executives who are managing reasonably effectively in a political environment. There were exceptions. One of the interviewees had recently resigned in response to an unmanageable relation with the leader; another did so shortly afterwards not for this reason, but rather because he felt he was becoming increasingly sidelined as a result of the changing dynamics of the majority group. But the remaining interviewees (and most of those interviewed in connection with 2003–2005 JRF research) had developed a relationship with the political leadership which enabled them to carry out the functions which they felt they needed to carry out, with a clear political steer (or in some cases acquiescence) and with an acceptable division of labour. In some cases they could not speak too highly of their relationship with the leader; however, it was more typical for there to be periodic disagreements and difficulties in the relationships, the underlying strength of which enabled satisfactory resolutions to be achieved.