The management challenge in the British Post Office

The British Post Office, which is the country´s biggest business, operating constantly in the public eye, is still growing fast as it begins to undergo further radical changes in readiness for the formal establishment of a separate telecommunications authority, leaving responsibility for Postal and National Girobank services with the present corporation. The scale and diversity of Post Office activities, and the organisation´s unique position as a nationalised industry touching the daily lives of almost every citizen, are reflected in the complexity and challenge of the current corporate management task. The paper examines the approach to that task, the managerial structure of the corporation and its constituent businesses, and the management advantages which can be expected to accrue from the forthcoming separation. It also discusses restraints imposed on the Post Office by successive governments and advocates early relaxation if wealth-creating industries are to be effectively managed and fulfil their objectives with minimum demands upon limited national economic resources.