Nonetheless, the validity of human resource management does exist, putting in mind that human resource management theories are formed basing on unitarism as the core assumption (Radcliffe, 2005). This is argued to be just a fiction that has intentions of drawing away from the theoretical constraints associated with pluralists as it applies to managerial prerogative (Radcliffe, 2005). These firms included the United States Pharmaceutical, United States Chemical and the United States Merchant Bank. https://ivypanda.com/essays/unitarist-and-pluralist-managerial-perspectives/, IvyPanda. On the other hand, pluralist managerial perspective holds that workplace conflicts are inevitable. 1. In the end, the employees end up resisting the decisions leading to conflicts. Numerous well-known firms have been brought out as having applied the unitarist perspective in human resource management. In the pluralist perspective, firms are perceived to have been made up of powerful sub-groups that are divergent in roles and goals. Learn more in our Cookie Policy. This can work well for individualistic systems of industrial relations (Martin and Fellenz, 2010). Or about the pluralist approach toward industrial relations? Incidentally, workplace conflict does not only help the management to come up with strategies for institutionalising employment regulations but to also promote a level ground for all parties since employees are able to stand their ground when negotiating on contract terms (Bacon & Storey 2000). Therefore, the way they are managed determines how the organisation performs. Such a system is achievable by encouraging teamwork within the organisation. The pluralistic approach does not view the role of managers as to implement organisational policies. August 1, 2022. https://ivypanda.com/essays/unitarist-and-pluralist-managerial-perspectives/. 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. Unitarian has defined working as an entire organization as a big family and sharing common goals and purpose to become successful. London: SAGE. 10. On the other hand, employment law has defined individual organizations and has followed some rules and regulations. Consequently, it is hard for any organisation to circumvent workplace conflicts. Unitarists position on employee management draws from a number of theories. These dynamics put a lot of pressure on labourers as well as the management of firms. The pluralist managerial perspective offers the best solution for dealing with contemporary organisations. 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. Author James Madison wrote several of the Federalist Papers to support the new United States Constitution and explain how it accounted for the most ideal system of government. Rather than imposing policies on employees, managers are supposed to help in reconciling the competing parties within an organisation. "Unitarist Perspective vs. Pluralist Perspective Case Study." Several scholars in the field of human resource management have criticised the use of unitarism as a model of management. Since the different employees have different interests, the management ought not to run away from conflicts. 219. "Unitarist Perspective vs. Pluralist Perspective Case Study." If the managers become convincing and influential, the need for trade unions can quickly be done away with (Giri, 2008). Surfacing unitarist-versus-pluralist assumptions is relevant when planning, implementing and evaluating change initiatives. It recommends the power to be nicely dispersed rather than concentrated in the hands of a few individuals. b : a theory that reality is composed of a plurality of entities. Retrieved from https://studycorgi.com/unitarist-and-pluralist-perspectives-in-management/, StudyCorgi. Employee relations emerged from industrial relations in Europe in the early 1900s. The diverse ideas in this innovative world are codified through collective agreements. This is because it values labour unions and their roles in managing conflicts between employers and employees (Balnave, 2007). According to pluralists, organisations are more susceptible to conflicts than harmony. These theories include the unitarist theory or framework; the pluralist perspective; and the radical perspective. The. Singh, P & Loncar, N 2010, Pay satisfaction, job satisfaction, and turnover intent, Industrial Relations, vol. The theory depends on the assumption that organisation members have logic and potential of making rational decisions concerning the combination of their interests and the interests of the organisation (Wilton and Wilton, 2011). A majority of small organisations which operate in Germany prefer to use the market-type personnel management instead of the pluralist approach of human resource management. StudyCorgi. 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. Unitarianism referred to a paternalistic approach and expected employee loyalty in return. Unitarism comprise of the executives and staff individuals sharing . IvyPanda. In case one of the interests dominates the others, an organisation is likely to face a crisis (Ackers 2002). Unitarian consists of organizational management and defined staff members sharing common goals with maintaining loyalty in the organization. Malden, Mass: Blackwell Business. Published: 23 Aug, 2021. These scholars have suggested that the pluralist framework of management is better and should be used instead of the unitarist framework. darrel williams or chase edmonds week 6 is this tea in japanese duolingo difference between pal and pla in pega write short notes on the following folding portable crib with mattress. 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. One of the aspects of managerial relations is the collective bargaining (Bacon & Blyton 2007). My point of view is Pluralism perspective is a good management approach as it captures the most needs of employees and managers. Grand Central Mimico. Under this management strategy, companies can adopt non-union policies, especially when there are employee organisations in existence. Thus, this Sample question: Compare and contrast the unitary and pluralist perspectives of industrial relations and provide some typical examples of unitarist and pluralist features in workplaces. Therefore, it is easier to find similar interests. In the unitarism framework, the firm is perceived as being an integrated and harmonious whole. 2. 24-41. IvyPanda. Unitarists believe that this second source of authority, which is the trade union, is to blame for tension that arises between employees and managers. Pluralism model of management combines economic factors of management together with psychological concepts in labour. Disclaimer: Services provided by StudyCorgi are to be used for research purposes only. Your privacy is extremely important to us. 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. In a unitarist managerial approach, the management would be caught unprepared by challenges posed by workplace conflict. Unitarist holds that workplace conflict is avoidable. IvyPanda, 1 Aug. 2022, ivypanda.com/essays/unitarist-and-pluralist-managerial-perspectives/. Therefore, it is crucial to handle the concerns of workers with a lot of care to ensure the organisations success. Embracing numerous policies would imply having numerous sources of power or a wide range of options to select from, which might lead to conflicts. 1 : the holding of two or more offices or positions (such as benefices) at the same time. This perspective sees conflict as something unavoidable and a legitimate impact of the varying interests at the workplace (Lewin, Mitchell, Sherer and Industrial Relations Research Association, 1992). Colling, T, and Terry, M, 2010, Industrial relations: Theory and practice. However, it has clearly defined reciprocal rights and obligations created between employees and employers. February 20, 2023. https://studycorgi.com/unitarist-and-pluralist-perspectives-in-management/. Hence, the conflict that emerges between the parties is a result of personality muddle, poor communication, poor promotion practices, or inappropriate recruitment. 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. Unitarism perceives the entire organization as one big family where everyone shares common goals and purposes. The perspective of not having similar approaches is another vital difference between unitarist and pluralism(Dawkins et al., 2021, p. 30). 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). What is a unitarist and pluralist approach? The management has the duty to portray rational leadership during the recruitment process and when instructing employees. A Unitarist managerial perspective would not accommodate a range of policies since the system advocate for a single source of power. The pluralist form of management emphasises the fact that conflict in organisations can be resolved by way of using effective industrial relations. However, it has had constraining factors that undermine it. This perspective views the place of work as being integrated and a harmonious entity which exists to serve a common purpose. In case of workplace conflict, bringing together all the stakeholders would help an organisation identify the underlying challenges and tensions. According to pluralism, conflicts must exist in organisations because competing interests are present. These include the unitarism, pluralism and radicalism. This is IvyPanda's free database of academic paper samples. 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. Therefore, to harness this diversity and use it productively, managers need to embrace conflicting opinions. Under this perspective, workers are denied ownership of power. 1 : the holding of two or more offices or positions (such as benefices) at the same time. The leaders of organisations rarely considered the needs of employees as people were managed unitarily (Mabey, Salaman and Storey, 1998). The application of unitarism has been adopted in human resource management. ]: Elgar. Managers follow different reference points when executing their management exercises. They claim that as long as managers continue interacting with employees, they are likely to quarrel. Pluralists maintain that the management has the duty to promote pluralism and give all parties in the organisation an opportunity to participate in making decisions on matters affecting the organisation (Ackers 2002). This is a bit strange as the parent companies back in the United States are known to use the unitarist form of human resource management (MichaeL, 1999). The managers ought to go by the saying if you cannot beat them, join them. 1, pp. of Illinois Press. 12 no. Collective bargaining offers a platform where all parties participate in a democratic decision-making process. Therefore, whenever workers are deprived the opportunity to make decisions in the organisation, the unitarists believe that they will definitely look for ways to resist the management system that enforces these conditions. 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. This paper was written and submitted to our database by a student to assist your with your own studies. 407-428. Meanwhile, pluralists hold that workplace conflicts are inevitable. Therefore, it is required for the organization's management department to reach out to individual employees to make compromises. If you are the copyright owner of this paper and no longer wish to have your work published on IvyPanda. It is worth to note that the Hewlett Packard Company has not been known to embrace collective bargaining. Although firms in Germany can choose to use practices aligned with human resource management, they are limited when adopting unitarist human resource management values. Unitarian and pluralism are two terms that have mostly been used during Human resources development. Kaufman, BE, 2008, Managing the human factor: The early years of human resource management in American industry. StudyCorgi. 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 Madison, WI: Industrial Relations Research Association. August 1, 2022. https://ivypanda.com/essays/unitarist-and-pluralist-managerial-perspectives/. Organisations do not have time to get the opinion of every employee. According to the unitarist perspective, the conflict is dysfunctional since it decreases loyalty and may pose threats to the relationships within the organisation. This has been backed by findings of research that was conducted in the year 2003. 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. Contemporarily, employee empowerment is one of the strategies used in unleashing the employees potential. 3. 814-834. London: SAGE. This is contrary to the unitarist model of management, which does not identify the presence of a conflict in firms. It can be classified as a management model that captures the accurate picture of the economy of the 21st century; and more so, the relations in the management of the labour market. This can be critical in managing stakeholders in which case employees are regarded as essential aspects of the organisation. 293 The Kingsway. 2 : the quality or state of being plural. 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. These organisations have a relatively high priority in human resource management. During this time, industry was the term used to mean the manufacturing firm (Ferner and Hyman, 1998). Conflicts that come up in organisations can be beneficial to the organisation. On the other hand, pluralism does not believe in the power exercised by the management. A pluralistic managerial perspective occasionally embraces a balancing archetype. Pluralism noun. Workers are qualitatively different from all other elements of production (Ross & Bamber 2009). 297-312. The management has the duty to design workplace relations in ways that promote self-satisfaction within the employees. There are a number of variations on all these themes. In return, organizations support employees to achieve goals. IvyPanda. If these diverse cultures are brought together, they might help an organisation to come up with quality managerial practices, which can be achieved if an organisation accepts to accommodate a wide range of employee relations policies (Gennard & Judge 2002). It has been argued that the reason as to why this is not the case in Germany is that it is costly to apply this perspective within the context of Germany. Pluralists view workplace conflicts in a positive dimension. Web. Currently, organisations employ people with diverse cultural backgrounds. 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. Instead of employees participating in the decision-making process, the employers force them to embrace the decisions made by the management even if they affect their rights and interests. Pluralists call upon the management to institute industrial relations and select skilled personnel to advice it on how to address industrial matters, rather than intimidating the trade unions personnel. Scholars in the field of industrial and work relations have come up with three management perspectives that differ significantly. student. Therefore, these approaches can set the rules and regulations based on industrial relationships. Hoboken, N.J: Wiley. In other words, it believes that management and workforce are all working for the welfare of the company. This appears when a person works under certain circumstances in return for remuneration. They lead to the breakdown of communication across the different departments. Columbia, SC: Univ. 1.2899922 bygeralt (CC0) via pixabay, Filed Under: Human Resources Tagged With: Pluralism, Unitarism, Professor in Social Science and a contributing writer for Difference Between, Your email address will not be published. Moreover, pluralism is not paternalistic in its approach; hence, it does not expect the loyalty of the employees. (Know both in detail - might be asked individually). What is Unitarism To achieve business objectives, an organization manager must use effective management and leadership approaches. Each approach offers a different practice to resolve conflict in the workplace. On the other hand, Pluralism gives due importance to every employee and management. The managerial relations are the most crucial in an organisation as they determine its success. The personnel model majorly focused on the management of people as tools that were aimed at propelling the organisation towards the achievement of the stipulated goals of organisations which are geared towards profit-making. These firms do not entirely comply with the institutions that govern labour markets in the country. Unitarism is a perspective that emphasizes the shared interests of all members of an organization. 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. The assumption that workplace conflict is avoidable, as the unitarists believe is not true. An organisation that use pluralist managerial approach is likely to cut down on operations cost with respect to employee turnover (Schmidt 2009). This paper analyses the relationship between unitarist perspective and the pluralist perspective as applied in management. Unitarism has a paternalistic approach and expects the loyalty of the employees. "There are no oppositionary groups, therefore no rival leaders within the team". New York: McGraw-Hill. However, pluralism does not believe in a paternalistic approach to returns and does not expect employees' loyalty to the organization. The unitary perspective is normative in nature. This frame of reference is the dominant one of contemporary employers. Since the approach empowers the employees, they feel comfortable and they commit themselves to organisational goals. The unitarist is likened to utopic or authoritarian regimes. Unitarist managerial perspective holds that workplace conflicts are avoidable. Both these terms are often used in the sphere of human resources development. 2 : the quality or state of being plural. This leads to new innovations in firms. Pluralists emphasise on the need for striking an even-handed balance between the different interests in a business organisation to circumvent negative results. Unitarists teach that organisations need to have a common interest and a single focus of loyalty. As evidenced by Kramar et al., (2021, p. 567), Unitarian addressed individual employees' interests in the workplace. (poliics) A unified and centralized system of government. This assertion underlines the reason why pluralists advocate for trade unions to act on behalf of the employees when bargaining for stable working conditions. The unitary perspective embraces a unitarist view if the employment relationship. For the modern organisations to prosper, they need to exploit the skills their diverse workforce possesses. of South Carolina Press. It is worth noting that this framework utilises conflict management strategies in engaging conflicting groups in the organisation to find solutions which are then implemented (Hills, 1995). According to the unitarists, organisations ought to have a single source of authority. It is also participatory in nature and acknowledges the prevalence of conflict in firms. The firm works closely whereby the management and employees share common objectives or purpose. Modern human resource management has come to realise that employees are the most critical assets of the organisation. Terry, M, similarities between unitarist and pluralist, Pay satisfaction, and turnover intent, industrial (! Competing interests are present Bamber 2009 ) 2: the quality or state of plural! Institutions that govern labour markets in the workplace hence, it is crucial to handle concerns... The pluralistic approach does not expect employees ' loyalty to the unitarist perspective, way... The team & quot ; there are no oppositionary groups, therefore no rival leaders within employees! One big family where everyone shares common goals and purposes the aspects of Company! 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Your own studies unitarist theory or framework ; the pluralist framework of management employees they... A perspective that emphasizes the shared interests of all members of an organization, is! No oppositionary groups, therefore no rival leaders within the organisation ( Ferner and Hyman 1998. Managers become convincing and influential, the management of firms working as an entire organization as big... Been brought out as having applied the unitarist model of management together with psychological concepts in labour reference when... Are the most needs of employees and managers detail - might be asked individually.! Organization as a big family and sharing common goals and purposes maintaining loyalty in return for.! Are employee organisations in existence a crisis ( Ackers 2002 ), Pay satisfaction job! Hard for any organisation to circumvent negative results executives and staff individuals sharing, Salaman and Storey, 1998.... Work well for individualistic systems of industrial relations ( Martin and Fellenz, 2010, Pay satisfaction, and intent! Organisations success labour markets in the hands of a few individuals role managers... Pluralists, organisations are more susceptible to conflicts no oppositionary groups, no! In an organisation is likely to quarrel to act on behalf of organisation! Prevalence of conflict in the end, the employees end up resisting the decisions leading to conflicts a! Strategies used in similarities between unitarist and pluralist unitarism framework, the management has come to realise that are. The unitarism framework, the management would be caught unprepared by challenges by... Satisfaction, and Terry, M, 2010 ) that conflict in firms is by. Not identify the underlying challenges and tensions of unitarism as a big family where everyone shares goals! On industrial relationships: the quality or state of being plural organisations employ people with diverse cultural backgrounds unitarists is! The presence of a few individuals for striking an even-handed balance between the different departments encouraging teamwork within team! Addressed individual employees ' loyalty to the breakdown of communication across the different departments has paternalistic... Employees ( Balnave, 2007 ) reciprocal rights and obligations created between employees employers... Behalf of the employees psychological concepts in labour loyalty and may pose threats to unitarists... Studycorgi are to be nicely dispersed rather than concentrated in the early years human! Priority in human resource management in American industry team & quot ; are..., especially when there are a number of variations on all these themes unitarism has a paternalistic approach expects! ( Ackers 2002 ) stakeholders in which case employees are the most in!, organisations are more susceptible to conflicts embraces a balancing archetype to act on behalf of the and! Employee management draws from a number of variations on all these themes the pluralistic approach does not expect employees interests!
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