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During the week just past the president and vice-president of the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) tendered their resignations.

They did so because they felt that on principle they could not accept the decision of the board with regard to the appointment of the manager for the West Indies team's upcoming tours of Zimbabwe and Kenya.

In every organisation there are occasions when conflicts and divergent opinions arise that is inevitable. On these occasions the maturity of the organisation can often be gauged by the respect which is accorded differing views, the dignity with which those involved conduct themselves and the determination of the organisation to deal with matters democratically and in strict accordance with the body's rules and constitution.

What we must also recognise is that change may be one of the resulting effects of an organisation's quest to resolve conflicts. The WICB has come face-to-face with this in the wake of the resignations of Pat Rousseau and Clarvis Joseph as WICB president and vice-president respectively.

The board wishes to thank both men for their contributions to the development of West Indies cricket and wishes them well in future endeavours. For a significant portion of their recent lives, they have given of their time, energy and vision to develop West Indies cricket and it is important that their contribution be recognised and appreciated.

There has been some public comment on recent events and not all of it has had the benefit of an accurate base. This is an important matter, not only for West Indies cricket but for the West Indies, and it is therefore vital that the board provide some background to the reasons which led to its decision with regard to the manager for the West Indies team. There are two main concerns which the board had:

Making the decision the right way.

Provision is made within the WICB's Articles of Association for decisions within the province of the board to be made by the board's executive committee in between board meetings.

The executive committee of the board contains five voting members the president, the vice-president and three other directors who are elected by the board.

In the matter of the dismissal of the manager none of these three directors had been consulted or involved in the decision in any way. The board took the view therefore that a decision which was the board's responsibility had not been made by the board, it had not been made by the executive committee and there was no other person or persons who had the authority to dismiss the manager.

We are working to establish a culture of discipline, respect for and proper exercise of authority in our players. The process and example must start with us.

The board's second concern regarded the human resource implications of the matter.

The board felt that each member of its staff should be accorded the opportunity of periodic and scheduled evaluations, for example, on an annual or semi-annual basis.

Where, according to a prescribed format, the individual's entire range of responsibilities is assessed and any shortcomings formally indicated with a programme put in place to correct any weaknesses.

The board feels this to be consistent with modern human resource practice. The board could not convince itself that this process had been observed in the case in question.

These were the main reasons which led the board to its decision and the president and vice-president, as was their right, disagreed and as a matter of principle decided to tender their resignations.

Interim measures.

A final measure of the maturity of an institution is its ability to cope capably with adverse circumstances. Following the above resignations, the board has taken certain actions and decisions in order to ensure continuity, confidence and continued progress:

Fixed the date of July 21, to convene a special meeting of its members to elect a new president and vice-president.

Created an interim management committee to run the affairs of the board.

This committee comprises the remaining voting members of the executive committee along with the WICB's chief executive officer and chief financial officer.

Formed a delegation which met in Trinidad with the West Indies team management to agree and establish aims, objectives and expectations for our African assignment. This delegation also met with captain Carl Hooper and all the players for the same purpose.

Made arrangements to ensure that all sponsors and contributors to West Indies cricket are informed of the changes and the process of transition.

Made provision to meet with all the WICB's staff to brief them on recent developments and decisions, to discuss any concerns they might have and seek their input on the way forward.

As the business of running West Indies cricket continues, the board would like to thank director of coaching, Reg Scarlett, team trainer, Ronald Rogers, along with specialist coaches, Gordon Greenidge and Andy Roberts, who led the training camp in the absence of team manager, Ricky Skerritt and coach, Roger Harper, who was on a pre-tour visit to Zimbabwe.

By all accounts, the two weeks of conditioning and coaching have gone extremely well and we expect this would have formed a positive bedrock from which to launch a successful campaign in Zimbabwe and Kenya.

There is no doubt that these are challenging times but so often out of challenge comes strength, determination and ultimately success.

The directors of the WICB and the management of the WICB Secretariat wish to reassure our cricket-loving public that this transition will be smooth and stable and that the welfare and unity of West Indies cricket will be the foremost consideration in each decision made.

© The Barbados Nation