United States, 2011, Occupational outlook handbook 2011-2012. Unitarian has clearly defined individual employees who share common interests and goals. The approach acknowledges the potential benefits of workplace conflicts. https://studycorgi.com/unitarist-and-pluralist-perspectives-in-management/. Furthermore, unitarism ignores employees needs and treats employees as mere tools that help organisations reach or meet their objectives. Therefore, unions are disliked. This is different from firms in the United Kingdom and the United States. 44 no. (2023, February 20). In the unitarism framework, the firm is perceived as being an integrated and harmonious whole. The assumption that workplace conflict is avoidable, as the unitarists believe is not true. In contrast, pluralism is a perspective that perceives an organization as being made up of divergent sub-groups having their own legitimate interests. Thus, management has to reach compromises. 857 Words 4 Pages. The pluralist theory holds that the workplaces are made up of different sets of attitudes, values, behaviours, and beliefs. 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). Different employees and organisational leaders hold different opinions and have competing interests (Gennard & Judge 2002). Nahid Broadview. Employee relations and management is an essential aspect of organisations. Unitarianism referred to a paternalistic approach and expected employee loyalty in return. Power in this perspective is distributed among major bargaining groups in the organisation so that no party takes advantage or manipulates the other. Traditionally, they have been expounded in terms of interests, and values are significantly different from interests. Definition of pluralism. Therefore, to address these problems, the managers ought to come up with rigid and direct mechanisms that would help to control all the activities the employees undertake. Pluralists hold that conflicts at workplaces are inevitable, which contradicts the unitarists position who believes that it is possible for institutions to circumvent conflict at workplaces. Unitarism has been applied in various models of human resource management in several states that are found in the South East Asia region. 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Utilising the specificity in perceptions, the theories describe and interpret a number of events which include conflict at the workplace, the function of unions, and the regulations of work (Kaufman, 2008). Moreover, this stance has a paternalistic . Moreover, unitarists believe that employees do not need having trade unions, as the unions add to workplace conflicts. On the other hand, Pluralism gives due importance to every employee and management. hard and soft pluralism employee relations. Grady, RC, 1993, Restoring real representation. What is Unitarism 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. Hence, management and the nature of employment are some of the issues that trigger heated debates. Unitarism is a perspective that emphasizes the shared interests of all members of an organization while pluralism is a perspective that perceives an organization as being made up of divergent sub-groups having their own legitimate interests. Difference Between Recruitment and Selection, Difference Between HR and Public Relation (PR), Difference Between Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivation, Difference Between Resume and LinkedIn Profile, Difference Between Talent Finder and Business Plus. Andover: Cengage Learning. 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. While unitarism advocates that all employees share common interests and goals, pluralism suggests that all employees do not have conflicting goals and interests. However, very few companies operating in Germany apply the unitarist perspective of management (Michael, 1999). 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. They believe that workplace conflicts come because of different employee interests. 5, pp. Western firms, particularly the Australian firms, have tiny elements of pluralism. Unitarists believe that the forces that bring together the managers and the employees are much stronger than the forces that draw them apart (Ross & Bamber 2009). Unitarian consists of organizational management and defined staff members sharing common goals with maintaining loyalty in the organization. Unitarism and pluralism are two terms often used in the sphere of human resources development. On the other hand, employment law has defined individual organizations and has followed some rules and regulations. Columbia, SC: Univ. Currently, organisations employ people with diverse cultural backgrounds. The unitarist approach consists of all members sharing the same interest and being homogenous. Hence, the management ought to work on the forces that unite it with the employees by establishing a working environment that promotes autonomy. Furthermore, it combines all the attributes mentioned above with the complicated vision of relations in employment characterised by conflict (Mabey, Salaman and Storey, 1998). 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. London [u.a. To gain support from the public, Madison and the other authors explained in these papers the benefits of the . The management has the duty to portray rational leadership during the recruitment process and when instructing employees. Unitarism perceives the entire organization as one big family where everyone shares common goals and purposes. Two of such reference points are the unitarist and the pluralist managerial perspectives. Workers are qualitatively different from all other elements of production (Ross & Bamber 2009). 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. The perspective sees unions as being competitors who compete for the loyalty of employees as well as their commitment. Pluralism noun. Summary. A pluralistic managerial perspective occasionally embraces a balancing archetype. They make it hard for an organisation to solve internal differences harmoniously. Conversely, the pluralist managerial approach would accommodate for a range of employee relations policies. 1, pp. Unitarism noun. In contrast, pluralism maintain sub-groups divergent by outlining individual legitimate interests and also captures the needs of both employees and managers. Ackers, P 2002, Reframing Employment Relations: The case for neo-pluralism, Industrial Relations Journal, vol. 297-312. This button displays the currently selected search type. From the research, it was deduced that the administration of Germany gives preference to the pluralist form of human resource management. However, trade unions are not accountable for workplace conflicts. "Unitarist and Pluralist Perspectives in Management." In this paper, see the writer will explore the advantages and disadvantages of both concepts, explaining their meaning, similarities and differences. This generates different kinds of constraints. This has been done through different means. Besides teamwork, conducting employee performance appraisal would go a long way to encourage cooperation between employees. This argument is based on how it has been applied in Germany, where the pluralism framework of management is dominant, particularly in several large companies. Martin, J, and Fellenz, M, 2010, Organizational behaviour and management. This perspective is also best suited for collective industrial relation systems. 1 : the holding of two or more offices or positions (such as benefices) at the same time. The results were that a number of entrepreneurs and employers have begun to make attempts to de-unionise their firms. Also, it links labour to human rights as applied in a democratic society. Unitarism view conflicts as dysfunctional whereas pluralism acknowledges conflicts and view them as desirable. Organisations do not have time to get the opinion of every employee. There is a relationship between two parties, that is underpinned by communication- consultation That each party has an interest at the enterprise level process There is the non organization of workers under the unitary model. Bacon, N & Storey, J 2000, New employee relations strategies in Britain: Towards individualism or partnership? British Journal of Industrial Relations, vol. The firm works closely whereby the management and employees share common objectives or purpose. Unitarists base their arguments on postulations that workplace conflict is an avoidable feature of relationships between employees and their managers. What do you know about the unitarist perspective regarding labor? The diverse ideas in this innovative world are codified through collective agreements. It is also participatory in nature and acknowledges the prevalence of conflict in firms. Employment laws have been set based on different subjects with common goals for protecting workers' rights. Edwards, P, 2007, Industrial relations: Theory and practice. Apart from the scientific management and the human relations theories, the Unitarists draw their inspirations from the human resource management theory. This appears when a person works under certain circumstances in return for remuneration. Pluralism recognises the existence of conflicts in organisations. On the other hand, the pluralist perspective employs conflict management strategies to address the challenges a conflict poses. Hence, it is hard for any organisation to bring all the stakeholders together and share common interests and values (Kessler & Purcell 2003). Unitarism has a paternalistic approach and expects the loyalty of the employees. One of the aspects of managerial relations is the collective bargaining (Bacon & Blyton 2007). "Unitarist and Pluralist Perspectives in Management." Unitarism perceives the entire organization as one big family where everyone shares common goals and purposes. February 20, 2023. https://studycorgi.com/unitarist-and-pluralist-perspectives-in-management/. Managers ought to convert them into profitable initiatives rather than criticize them. This perspective explores the behaviour of the capitalistic society, which has a division of interests that exists between capital and labour (Bendix, 2000). It does not have descriptions of how individual employee interests and sentiments can be fully integrated into the objectives of the firm. These dynamics put a lot of pressure on labourers as well as the management of firms. 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. In this approach, the conflict has been used to understand employees' identities and address practical aspects (Kramar et al., 2021, p. 567). Farnham, D, and Institute of Personnel and Development, 2000, Employee relations in context. Pluralists view workplace conflicts in a positive dimension. Hyman, J, and Mason, B, 1995, Managing employee involvement and participation. On the other hand, the recent strikes and labor problems at the Boeing Company could be seen as an example of a pluralist approach. You can use them for inspiration, an insight into a particular topic, a handy source of reference, or even just as a template of a certain type of paper. 1 no.1, pp. "Unitarist Perspective vs. Pluralist Perspective Case Study." Highland Commons. When conflicts are effectively managed, the organisation gets a chance to have a new look and create more room for development. Several scholars in the field of human resource management have criticised the use of unitarism as a model of management. Or about the pluralist approach toward industrial relations? 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). Wilton, N, and Wilton, N, 2011, An introduction to human resource management. This perspective embraces a wide range of policies related to employee relations. On the other hand, the unitarist theories base on the assumption that all stakeholders in organisations, especially workers and managers, have unified interests in meeting the firms goals and objectives. The pluralist theory is accommodative in nature. 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. London: Routledge. The management has to show strong leadership to meet the goals set by the organisation. 5. Pluralism is the belief that the way to achieve good industrial relations is to acknowledge that various groups of employees have different requirements, and make different demands. Previous Article. Definition of pluralism. These organisations have a relatively high priority in human resource management. It brings together all the parties involved in the conflict and helps them to come up with a consensus (Kessler & Purcell 2003). StudyCorgi. The unitarist perspective is broadly defined as an approach to emphasizing the importance of sharing the organization's goals and team working. The perspective acknowledges that it is hard for an organisation to overcome workplace conflicts and it gives a method of embracing the conflict in a productive way. It acknowledges the use of collective bargaining in the negotiation process to resolve conflicts. Nonetheless, it should not be assumed that a pluralist form of management can only be applied by organisations when pressured to do so. The unitary perspective is normative in nature. Pluralism suggests that employment relationships in organisations are open-ended and in a way, indeterminate, which creates structural antagonism. Gennard, J & Judge, G 2002, Employee Relations, 3rd edn, Institute of Personnel and Development, Wimbledon. What is Unitarist and pluralist? "Unitarist Perspective vs. Pluralist Perspective Case Study." According to pluralists, it is hard for organisations to curb workplace conflicts. Unitarists maintain that for an organisation to succeed, it has to have a management system that discourages establishment of social classes, establishes open communication, and champions for the interests of all parties to the organisation. (ecclesiastical) The state of a pluralist; the holding of more than one ecclesiastical living at a time. They claim that as long as managers continue interacting with employees, they are likely to quarrel. Required fields are marked *. Therefore, the organisational management team needs to look for the opportunities that might help it to use the emerging conflicts to boost organisational growth. Retrieved from https://studycorgi.com/unitarist-and-pluralist-perspectives-in-management/, StudyCorgi. Balnave, N, 2007, Employment relations in Australia. 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). The firm works closely whereby the management and employees share common objectives or purpose. Thus, conflicts are not seen as aspects which can be used to bring about a harmonious environment in the workplace. Such employees would stop being productive subjecting the organisation to retarded growth (Ackers 2002). 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