Having once been the president of a public sector union, Bill Cole has experienced the challenges of leadership in a union organization. His interest in engaging union members grew over this period and really took shape a decade ago through conversations with union leaders while teaching at the Harvard Trade Union Program. 

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The common experiences and engagement concerns expressed by union leaders worldwide prompted Bill to examine this question in a more formal way. In the result, Dr. Cole, a graduate from the University of Western Ontario's Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral studies, examined the causes of, and strategies to build member engagement. Unlike the common approach of examining organizational development through a focus on leadership, Bill's research considered the question from the "follower" or member perspective. This does not discount the importance of leadership, but accounts for the unique sociology and structures of unions. How do we motivate members to invest more of their time in their union?

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Dr. Cole is a Senior Research Associate at Harvard's Center for Labor and a Just Economy, a faculty member of the Harvard Trade Union Program, as well as a faculty member at the University of Ottawa. 

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Bill is also active representing labour unions in collective bargaining and dispute resolution. He has negotiated or arbitrated collective agreements for police, firefighters, paramedics, airline pilots, steelworkers, and other private or public sector unions. He has designed and delivered training for countless union representatives across North America.  For information on those services please check out his companion website here. 

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Bill can be found in hockey arenas, running trails along rivers or through forests, or hanging out with his Springer Spaniel... Reggie. 

 

Bill is a member of:

 

Law Society of Ontario

Canadian Industrial Relations Association

International Leadership Association

Global Followership Network  

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