Case study British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) - the case continues www.bbc.co.uk There are many local and professional BBC cultures, policy, productivity, coordination and stability. These but two culturally-distinct groups are evident - the values, as well as the public's concern that they get programme-makers and the managers. In the earliest a good return for their licence fee will inevitably con- days, when the BBC was a monopoly with a growing strain some areas of programme-makers' autonomy. audience and income, the emphasis was on produc- Commercial considerations run alongside those about tion quality. This meant recruiting capable people and aesthetic quality or intellectual worth: giving them a high degree of professional autonomy. The programme-makers are a relatively small group We encourage them (producers) to come up of people, to whom most other staff provide support. with things that are formatted and long-running, Hendy points out: rather than the bright ideas that are going to be a one-oft. Particularly where anything that might detailed oversight of day-to-day activity is have international potential or would work for the impossible. In the last resort it is the programme US (Turner et al. 2016, p.708). producer who determines the quality and tone of what goes on air... they are trusted to get on Marketing and scheduling became more vital to with it' and exercise their own judgement (Hendy, ensure the best chance of attracting mass audiences, 2013, p.71). greatly increasing the role of channel controllers, who decide what programmes to make, together with the This is especially true of the outstanding individuals who content and timing of schedules. They also commis- create award-winning documentaries, comment on Sion work from independent producers, who provide major sporting events, or host popular entertainment about a quarter of BBC output. They are well-known public figures and often have more frequent access to senior politicians and busi- Sources: Namen (2014), Hendy (2018, Tuer et al. (2014). ness leaders than senior BBC managers. Their focus is on the quality of the programme, with little interest in budgets, schedules or other routine considerations. Case questions 3.2 The managers -- senior managers and their subord. Which of the cultures expressed in the compet- nates, staff working close to the top of staff functions, ing values framework would you expect in these and administrative staff - have other values. They give two groups, and why? more attention to external stakeholders and their inter my this imply for their management and ests and intentions towards the BBC. They value rules the relationship between tre about budget compliance, consistency with salary