Conflict is an unavoidable aspect of the current economy, characterised by competition coupled with a lot of dynamics. Unitarists are possessed with the view that within any organization for that matter both the management and the employees share the same agenda. Therefore, pluralists offer the best solution to workplace conflicts, which is to share control of organisation between several leaders who would work on the various interests to reach at a common agreement with all the stakeholders. To gain support from the public, Madison and the other authors explained in these papers the benefits of the . The unitarist perspective is broadly defined as an approach to emphasizing the importance of sharing the organization's goals and team working. Human resource management follows the models of human needs, such as the Maslow hierarchy of needs model, and applies it in the management of employee and their relations in organisations (Wilton and Wilton, 2011). "Unitarist and Pluralist Perspectives in Management." Unitarian has clearly defined individual employees who share common interests and goals. They believe that for an organisation to succeed there has to be numerous leaders or lines of command to make sure that one leader does not pursue personal interests at the expense of others. 3, pp. This leads to conflicting interests that human resource management will be required to negotiate and mediate and resolve to meet the goals of firms. It contains thousands of paper examples on a wide variety of topics, all donated by helpful students. This is IvyPanda's free database of academic paper samples. 1. Therefore, this approach has expected employees' loyalty. 2 : the quality or state of being plural. https://studycorgi.com/unitarist-and-pluralist-perspectives-in-management/. Unitarists hold that to avoid such conflicts, the management team ought to identify the actions that might lead to conflicts and avoid implementing them. Nevertheless, the perspective does not advice on how managers can come up with mutual interests or how to share mutual interests across the business institution. Meanwhile, pluralists hold that workplace conflicts are inevitable. It brings together all the parties involved in the conflict and helps them to come up with a consensus (Kessler & Purcell 2003). (Fox p.4:9). ]: Elgar. Unitarist and Pluralist Perspectives in Management. It is a paternalistic approach with a more positive attitude towards employees and rejects the pluralist notion of conflict and trade union (Gennard & Judge, 2005, p.44). Under this management strategy, companies can adopt non-union policies, especially when there are employee organisations in existence. If you use an assignment from StudyCorgi website, it should be referenced accordingly. The assumption that workplace conflict is avoidable, as the unitarists believe is not true. It does not have descriptions of how individual employee interests and sentiments can be fully integrated into the objectives of the firm. When conflicts are effectively managed, the organisation gets a chance to have a new look and create more room for development. IvyPanda. Views. 63 no. Bendix, S, 2000, The basics of labour relations. Edwards, P, 2007, Industrial relations: Theory and practice. A central assumption in the application and practice of soft human resource management is that the firm is unitarist. In whichever way, the ultimate goal of this managerial approach is to curb internal conflicts by promoting self-satisfaction through involving the employees in running the organisation. The managers need to understand that the employees have the right to present their opinions on how they would like to be governed (Bacon & Blyton 2007). Bacon, N & Blyton, P 2007, Conflict for Mutual Gains? Journal of Management Studies, vol. The modern human resource management focuses on ensuring that employee and employer conflicts are settled properly. However, it was noted that the perspective that dominates the Japanese and several other Asian firms, is the unitarist perspective. "Unitarist and Pluralist Perspectives in Management." Along with that, it has helped mitigate any issues by maintaining effective employment relationships (Gumbrell et al., 2019, p. 99). In a way, there appears to be a second source of authority within an organisation. Teamwork promotes cooperation between employees, therefore, avoiding chances of conflict of interest. Unitarists do not believe in the role of trade unions in the organisations (Dzimbiri 2008). In this perspective, trade unions are seen as unnecessary because the loyalty between workers and managements are regarded mutually exclusive where there cannot be two sides of organization. From a "unitarist" perspective (set forth, for example, in mission . The unitary and pluralist perspectives of employee relations Since the 1980s, there has been a significant paradigm shift in managing employee relations (ER) to one focused on more strategic and integrated frameworks that are based on employee commitment and shared workplace interests, instead of the traditional managerial control and conflicts They lead to the breakdown of communication across the different departments. Several scholars in the field of human resource management have criticised the use of unitarism as a model of management. The management has to show strong leadership to meet the goals set by the organisation. Just as authority is seen differently in each theory, the similarity between them in relations to authority is that in all the three theory the management holds the power and the trade union or the state or any other interested groups holds the power but not over the management. Comparison between unitary and pluralist perspectives within the workplace There are two different approaches within an employment relationship, the unitary perspective and the pluralist perspective. Pluralism model of management combines economic factors of management together with psychological concepts in labour. This has the potential of creating conflict in the labour market as well as in the workplace (Farnham and Institute of Personnel and Development, 2000). We will write a custom Case Study on Unitarist Perspective vs. Pluralist Perspective Case Study specifically for you for only $11.00 $9.35/page. It is worth to note that the Hewlett Packard Company has not been known to embrace collective bargaining. Rather than imposing policies on employees, managers are supposed to help in reconciling the competing parties within an organisation. Meanwhile, pluralists hold that workplace conflicts are inevitable. The Germany system does not give room for using the unitarist framework of human resource management (Michael, 1999). This perspective is also best suited for collective industrial relation systems. Unitarism view conflicts as dysfunctional whereas pluralism acknowledges conflicts and view them as desirable. Traditionally, they have been expounded in terms of interests, and values are significantly different from interests. Hence, the conflict that emerges between the parties is a result of personality muddle, poor communication, poor promotion practices, or inappropriate recruitment. One of the aspects of managerial relations is the collective bargaining (Bacon & Blyton 2007). StudyCorgi. Hence, management and the nature of employment are some of the issues that trigger heated debates. This case study on Unitarist Perspective vs. Pluralist Perspective Case Study was written and submitted by your fellow Need a custom Case Study sample written from scratch by This includes the three United States companies that have been mentioned above. Web. Thus, conflicts are not seen as aspects which can be used to bring about a harmonious environment in the workplace. Hoboken, N.J: Wiley. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Copyright 2010-2018 Difference Between. Integrating the sentiments of every employee into the organisational goals would go a long way to curb workplace conflicts. Contemporarily, employee empowerment is one of the strategies used in unleashing the employees potential. Rather than trying to curb workplace conflict, which is hard to do away with, organisational leaders ought to bring back sanity by sharing the control of the organisation. The pluralist managerial perspective advocates for collective bargaining, which is a valuable approach in organisation management. must. This perspective views the place of work as being integrated and a harmonious entity which exists to serve a common purpose. Besides, it has to have clear knowledge of the diverse interests held by the workforce and work on modalities to harmonise them. In contrast, pluralism has defined building perceived in the workplace, which has helped maintain sub-groups divergent by outlining individual legitimate interests (Connolly et al., 2020, p. 207). We utilize security vendors that protect and Barry, M, 2011, Research handbook in comparative employment relations. Most of the modern organisations do not have trade unions (Abbott 2006). The level of employee relations in pluralism makes it appropriate for diverse organisations and national cultures. Thus, management has to reach compromises. It needs to give employees the power to make decisions at their workplaces, which would facilitate in avoiding conflicts, as employees would agree with their colleagues on policies to adopt. Since the different employees have different interests, the management ought not to run away from conflicts. Those companies that use this approach are fully dependent on the workplace with strong cooperation between individual employees and employers to focus on primary goals. This can be critical in managing stakeholders in which case employees are regarded as essential aspects of the organisation. Unitarism is a more of a straightforward concept, which says that all the employees and those working in an organized management should always work for the welfare of the organization not just for their personal benefits or growth. Overview and Key Difference Cape Town: Juta. Embracing numerous policies would imply having numerous sources of power or a wide range of options to select from, which might lead to conflicts. Verge-2 Condos.
The diverse ideas in this innovative world are codified through collective agreements. This means that pluralist approaches of management which form a big part of contemporary human resource management are being embraced in management today (Wilton and Wilton, 2011). United States, 2011, Occupational outlook handbook 2011-2012. For this reason, organisations cannot overcome conflicts. It recommends the power to be nicely dispersed rather than concentrated in the hands of a few individuals. Moreover, they are required to work on employee development as a way to show that they are committed to improving the wellbeing of all employees. similarities between unitarist and pluralist. However, this approach values employees' unions and roles to avoid issues between employees and employers. a more recent variant, the neo-unitarist perspective; conflict theory, including the Marxist and pluralist perspectives; systems approach and the contrasting social action perspective. The other point that forms the basis of unitarism is that the activities of trade unions are not legitimate. Managers follow different reference points when executing their management exercises. Therefore, it is required for the organization's management department to reach out to individual employees to make compromises. Unitarism also lacks a descriptive framework of how the firms common interests can be identified and how they can be shared in different organisations. London: Institute of Personnel and Development. This mostly works for blue-collar jobs. Side by Side Comparison Unitarism vs Pluralism in Tabular Form Power in this perspective is distributed among major bargaining groups in the organisation so that no party takes advantage or manipulates the other. The current focus emphasises the strategic and integrated frameworks based on the commitment of workers and the shared interests at the place of work (Collins, 1998). Even the Hewlett Packard Company, which is broadly acknowledged for pursuing human resource management in an excellent manner, has never been described in the sense of being a model for unitarist management. Singh, P & Loncar, N 2010, Pay satisfaction, job satisfaction, and turnover intent, Industrial Relations, vol. Conflicting objectives are seen as abnormal in this perspective. In an environment where employees have to wait for commands from their leaders (like the one unitarists advocate for), they get demoralised and fail to commit themselves (Schmidt 2009). It acknowledges the use of collective bargaining in the negotiation process to resolve conflicts. There are different perspectives on managing relations in firms. Such a belief gives a steady argument for focusing on the commonality of goals to achieve a stable employee relations system. Each of these perspectives has specific workplace relations perceptions. Moreover, they posit that whenever the management senses that conflict might erupt in an organisation, they work towards coming up with innovative methods that would turn the conflict into a productive initiative. The unitarist model sees organizational employees as psychological beings who have more social that need to be satisfied rather than economic beings whose employment relationship is based on economical and financial rewards (Budd and Bhave 2010, pp. 20 February. If you are the copyright owner of this paper and no longer wish to have your work published on IvyPanda. The approach acknowledges the potential benefits of workplace conflicts. Workers are qualitatively different from all other elements of production (Ross & Bamber 2009). Besides, pluralists maintain that the management needs to address both work and non-work related needs of their employees. It can be argued that some firms are putting in place measures to ensure that their employees do not adopt pluralist tendencies. August 1, 2022. https://ivypanda.com/essays/unitarist-and-pluralist-managerial-perspectives/. The firm works closely whereby the management and employees share common objectives or purpose. The key difference between unitarism and pluralism is that the unitarism is a perspective that emphasizes the shared interests of all members of an organization whereas the pluralism is a perspective where an organization is perceived as being made up of divergent sub-groups having their own legitimate interests. Though it is argued that most of human resource management theory has a foundation in unitarism, most of the big and mainstream firms have put minimal emphasis on changing the management style that they use-the pluralistic manner. In a bid to achieve this goal, managers ought to understand that employees are not the cause of conflict witnessed in organisations, but they show the diversity in industrial relations. Pluralism does not believe in the power exercised by the management. Managers ought to convert them into profitable initiatives rather than criticize them. Managers ought to ensure that employees enjoy quality working conditions and employment security. 187-198. February 20, 2023. https://studycorgi.com/unitarist-and-pluralist-perspectives-in-management/. The management acts as a mediator between the perceived competitors. Unitarian has referred to individual members interested in the organization. Numerous well-known firms have been brought out as having applied the unitarist perspective in human resource management. Despite the high levels of unemployment, firms in Germany have remained relatively competitive. Pluralism noun. A single leader cannot manage to address all the employee demands and might end up enforcing his or her ideas, therefore, amplifying the conflict (Abbott 2006). This has not been fully proved. Workers have to be loyal to the firm that they work for and the firms management. The difference between a unitarist and a pluralist approach to employment relations as suggested by Fox (1966) is that to have a unitarist approach, organisations are more likely to think about the shared interest of employees as well as the organisation. However, it has clearly defined reciprocal rights and obligations created between employees and employers. 10. If the managers become convincing and influential, the need for trade unions can quickly be done away with (Giri, 2008). What do you know about the unitarist perspective regarding labor? (Grady et al., 2019, p. 490). (2022, August 1). The database is updated daily, so anyone can easily find a relevant essay example. According to the unitarists, organisations ought to have a single source of authority. 857 Words 4 Pages. 1 no.1, pp. According to this perspective, the managements role involves the provision of strong leadership and fostering of good communication. Grady, RC, 1993, Restoring real representation. On the other hand, pluralism does not believe in the power exercised by the management. However, trade unions are not accountable for workplace conflicts. Based on the nature of the organisations system, employees and management are seen to pledge to different objectives and values. In such an instance, employees only work because they need money and they leave the organisation upon getting the first chance. August 1, 2022. https://ivypanda.com/essays/unitarist-and-pluralist-managerial-perspectives/. However, for bigger organisations, it is hard for the management team to use a single source of power, which underlines why organisations are working to remove the hierarchy that exists in their administration structure. The hierarchy not only leads to conflict, but also delays in the implementation of organisational policies. Due to the dynamism of the modern economy, pluralism perspective is the best management approach as it captures the most needs of employees and managers. Thus, pluralism has not referred to a paternalistic approach and does not expect loyalty from employees (Bosch et al., 2020, p. 189). Reina Condos. Summary. 814-834. Bacon, N & Storey, J 2000, New employee relations strategies in Britain: Towards individualism or partnership? British Journal of Industrial Relations, vol. Hence, trade unions would facilitate to gather the opinion of the employees and bring them on the table for the organisation to make decisive decisions.
Along with that, maintaining work efficiency is required to maintain loyalty in the workplace. This is the key difference between unitarism and pluralism. (2022, August 1). Therefore, the unitarist perspective calls for the establishment of a single source of power and integration of organisational and employee interests. 3, pp. They believe that workplace conflicts come because of different employee interests. Moreover, unitarists believe that employees do not need having trade unions, as the unions add to workplace conflicts. In return, it motivates employees since they feel empowered (Bacon & Blyton 2007). Its an interesting blog Umer. In return, the management would be able to come up with measures to mitigate their potential effects or address them before they happen (Bacon & Blyton 2007). The pluralist form of management emphasises the fact that conflict in organisations can be resolved by way of using effective industrial relations. 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