similarities between unitarist and pluralist
Published: 23 Aug, 2021. Balnave, N, 2007, Employment relations in Australia. This perspective explores the behaviour of the capitalistic society, which has a division of interests that exists between capital and labour (Bendix, 2000). Retrieved from https://ivypanda.com/essays/unitarist-and-pluralist-managerial-perspectives/. 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. Unitarian has referred to individual members interested in the organization. Unitarism view conflicts as dysfunctional whereas pluralism acknowledges conflicts and view them as desirable. This is the key difference between unitarism and pluralism. These features are the managerial relations and the market relations. This is because it allows for differing interests of workers and managers. Lewin, D, Mitchell, OS, Sherer, PD, and Industrial Relations Research Association., 1992, Research frontiers in industrial relations and human resources. Unitarism perceives the entire organization as one big family where everyone shares common goals and purposes. "Unitarist and Pluralist Perspectives in Management." These perspectives are different in their explanation, understanding and analysis of relations at places of work. Also, firms are seen as composing teams which work together to reach mutual goals. The management has the duty to design workplace relations in ways that promote self-satisfaction within the employees. Martin, J, and Fellenz, M, 2010, Organizational behaviour and management. "Unitarist and Pluralist Perspectives in Management." IvyPanda. Unitarist and pluralist paradigms differently see the conflict and ways to resolve it. "Unitarist and Pluralist Perspectives in Management." 1, pp. Wilton, N, and Wilton, N, 2011, An introduction to human resource management. 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). To achieve business objectives, an organization manager must use effective management and leadership approaches. These firms included the United States Pharmaceutical, United States Chemical and the United States Merchant Bank. 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. The application of unitarism has been adopted in human resource management. Andover: Cengage Learning. Views: 108. Outsiders are seen as immaterial as representatives and businesses have a common participation. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you Thus, pluralism has not referred to a paternalistic approach and does not expect loyalty from employees (Bosch et al., 2020, p. 189). According to this approach, managers may detour them by bringing all the stakeholders together. It has been identified that stakeholders are rational. This is one of the main End of preview What is Unitarist and pluralist? Such a system is achievable by encouraging teamwork within the organisation. The hierarchy not only leads to conflict, but also delays in the implementation of organisational policies. Unitarian has clearly defined individual employees who share common interests and goals. Besides, the writer will decide on the best approach based on the findings. Your privacy is extremely important to us. (2023, February 20). must. 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. Unitarism perceives the entire organization as one big family where everyone shares common goals and purposes. Similarly, it has defined management and workforce as working for company welfare. 5. In contrast, pluralism is a perspective that perceives an organization as being made up of divergent sub-groups having their own legitimate interests. Singh, P & Loncar, N 2010, Pay satisfaction, job satisfaction, and turnover intent, Industrial Relations, vol. 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). of South Carolina Press. 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). What is a unitarist and pluralist approach? ]: Sage. Employees and the management form part of these groups (Giles 1998). a more recent variant, the neo-unitarist perspective; conflict theory, including the Marxist and pluralist perspectives; systems approach and the contrasting social action perspective. Traditionally, they have been expounded in terms of interests, and values are significantly different from interests. The modern human resource management focuses on ensuring that employee and employer conflicts are settled properly. However, trade unions are not accountable for workplace conflicts. 814-834. The two perspectives have different opinions regarding organisational management. According to this approach, managers may detour them by bringing all the stakeholders together. Employee relations and management is an essential aspect of organisations. From a "unitarist" perspective (set forth, for example, in mission . Unitarian and pluralism are two terms that have mostly been used during Human resources development. [u.a. Besides, the social classes lead to regular conflicts due to contradicting interests (Bacon & Blyton 2007). February 20, 2023. https://studycorgi.com/unitarist-and-pluralist-perspectives-in-management/. The theory holds that for managers to come up with productive employee management strategies, they have to start by assuming that the employees are likely to avoid work whenever they get a chance, they have limited knowledge about the work, and are prone to pursuing personal interests. similarities between unitarist and pluralist. Some conflicts are said to be of value to firms and, therefore, are necessary for organisations (Wilton and Wilton, 2011). Groups are becoming essential in organisations when it comes to product development and improvement of quality or productivity of firms. 24-41. 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. Danny Danforth. 2. 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. 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. https://studycorgi.com/unitarist-and-pluralist-perspectives-in-management/. IvyPanda. Managers ought to convert them into profitable initiatives rather than criticize them. Therefore, these approaches can set the rules and regulations based on industrial relationships. 1 August. b : a theory that reality is composed of a plurality of entities. 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 it is the major difference between the Unitarian and Pluralism approaches. This has been backed by findings of research that was conducted in the year 2003. 44 no. Grady, RC, 1993, Restoring real representation. The primary malady in this approach is that appropriate employees may be left out, which can, in turn, negatively impact on the productivity and the general performance of organisations (Radcliffe, 2005). In return, organizations support employees to achieve goals. When expanded it provides a list of search options that will switch the search inputs to match the current selection. Kaufman, BE, 2008, Managing the human factor: The early years of human resource management in American industry. In the other context, pluralism has suggested employees do not have similar interests and goals. Organization of workers is promoted under the Pluralist and Marxists theories. According to unitarists, both managers and employees share a common interest of making sure that their organisation grows steadily, and thus when a crisis occurs within the organisation, it would not lead to insolvency of the organisation (Ross & Bamber 2009). Besides, pluralists maintain that the management needs to address both work and non-work related needs of their employees. Unitarism lies at the centre of the philosophy of human resource management. For the organisation to curb conflicts, it has to ensure that all stakeholders take part in the decision-making process. Organisations also have different kinds of attachments. 1 : the holding of two or more offices or positions (such as benefices) at the same time. This can be critical in managing stakeholders in which case employees are regarded as essential aspects of the organisation. Side by Side Comparison Unitarism vs Pluralism in Tabular Form Moreover, this stance has a paternalistic . All rights reserved. Select Accept to consent or Reject to decline non-essential cookies for this use. The assumption that workplace conflict is avoidable, as the unitarists believe is not true. Unitarian has clearly defined individual employees who share common interests and goals. One of the aspects of managerial relations is the collective bargaining (Bacon & Blyton 2007). Terms of Use and Privacy Policy: Legal. Besides, they are supposed to help in aligning the employee interests with the organisational goals. Unitarism further is not a participative style of management and ignores the idea of employees which could be used to alter the course of events in organisations positively. Thus, it is important to handle employees' concerns by ensuring the organization's successful aspects. In a research that was conducted in organisations in Germany, it was found out that some United States firms utilise a unitarist Human Resource Management Strategy. Wilkinson, A, 2008, The SAGE handbook of human resource management. 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. Unitarism view conflicts as dysfunctional whereas pluralism acknowledges conflicts and view them as desirable. A pluralistic managerial perspective occasionally embraces a balancing archetype. Hence, the conflict that emerges between the parties is a result of personality muddle, poor communication, poor promotion practices, or inappropriate recruitment. On the other hand, pluralist managerial perspective holds that workplace conflicts are inevitable. In contrast, pluralism does not have a paternalistic approach and does not expect the loyalty of the employees. Surfacing unitarist-versus-pluralist assumptions is relevant when planning, implementing and evaluating change initiatives. 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. It is argued that pluralist form of management may become common and most preferred in European firms that follow a market strategy based on high quality to substitute the unitarist form of management common in the United States (Michael, 1999). The experts of unitarism call it as 'a unitary outlook'. By acknowledging that organisations are incapable of overcoming conflicts, the pluralists consider conflict to be of significant benefit to an organisation (Giles 1998). This cuts across organisations that prevailed in ancient days and the organisations in the modern days (United States, 2011). According to pluralism, conflicts must exist in organisations because competing interests are present. Gennard, J & Judge, G 2002, Employee Relations, 3rd edn, Institute of Personnel and Development, Wimbledon. Under this perspective, workers are denied ownership of power. Under this perspective of management, conflict is not overlooked or ignored, but it is managed effectively through the participation of stakeholders of the firm. Conflict must be accepted as being part of what defines organisations in this modern economy. Malden, Mass: Blackwell Business. Ross, P & Bamber, G 2009, Strategic choices in pluralist and unitarist employment relations regimes: A study of Australian telecommunications, Industrial & Labour Relations Review, vol. According to the unitarist perspective, the conflict is dysfunctional since it decreases loyalty and may pose threats to the relationships within the organisation. The management uses consultative approaches in reacting and providing solutions to conflicts. Cape Town: Juta. Conflicting objectives are seen as abnormal in this perspective. Another theory from which unitarists draw their position regarding employee management is the human relations theory. The radical perspective is sometimes referred to as the Marxist view. This has not been fully proved. It compares these two perspectives in a broader sense, and from the analysis, the most useful view of employee management shall be singled out. Unitarism and pluralism are two terms often used in the sphere of human resources development. What is Pluralism Nevertheless, the unitarists fail to understand that employers are the root cause of the conflict. of Illinois Press. What is Unitarism Although firms in Germany can choose to use practices aligned with human resource management, they are limited when adopting unitarist human resource management values. 3a : a theory that there are more than one or more than two kinds of ultimate reality. 20 February. The employee relations in organisations emerged amidst industrial relations which began in the 1920s in Europe. It recommends the power to be nicely dispersed rather than concentrated in the hands of a few individuals. If you keep using the site, you accept our. Therefore, conflict can be used in the understanding of the deep-seated tensions to identify and adequately address them. The unitary perspective is normative in nature. Figure 2: Differences between Unitarian and Pluralism. They do follow a non-union labour policy. Based on the nature of the organisations system, employees and management are seen to pledge to different objectives and values. They can and should make sure that an organization is managed from a single source of power. Thus, conflicts are not seen as aspects which can be used to bring about a harmonious environment in the workplace. 65 no. Most of the modern organisations do not have trade unions (Abbott 2006). In the unitarism framework, the firm is perceived as being an integrated and harmonious whole. These are known as unitarism and pluralism. be united. Ithaca: ILR Press/Cornell University Press. ]: Univ. LinkedIn and 3rd parties use essential and non-essential cookies to provide, secure, analyze and improve our Services, and (except on the iOS app) to show you relevant ads (including professional and job ads) on and off LinkedIn. However, this approach values employees' unions and roles to avoid issues between employees and employers. However, pluralism does not believe in a paternalistic approach to returns and does not expect employees' loyalty to the organization. Compare the Difference Between Similar Terms. Unitarist managerial perspective holds that workplace conflicts are avoidable. According to this perspective, conflict is an indicator of faulty communication in the organisation (Collins, 1998). Therefore, instead of solving the conflicts, the strategies postpone them only to erupt at a time when the organisation is not prepared. Moreover, this stance has a paternalistic approach and expects the loyalty of the employees. 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. Along with that, maintaining work efficiency is required to maintain loyalty in the workplace. 5, pp. In this case, human resource management, which has been adopted by many organisations these days, addresses the needs of employees in a significant way. The unitarist framework holds that workers and managers can pull together to achieve common objectives, values and interests. Pluralism also gives ample opportunity for employees to voice out their opinions. Although there is no significant backing, it can be speculated that Germany has many organisations which follow the unitarist approach of management. Also, it links labour to human rights as applied in a democratic society. Unitarism has a paternalistic approach and expects the loyalty of the employees. By bringing together the diverse experiences, an organisation would have a better chance of incorporating novel functions in its management practice thus improving its performance. Unitarist and Pluralist Perspectives in Management. You can update your choices at any time in your settings. This perspective emphasises the management role, which entails attaining a win-win situation for both workers and the firm in general. IvyPanda. There exists a wide gap in proving that unitarism exists in Western organisations. 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. Similarities Between Federalist 10 And 51. On the other hand, pluralism refers to the perspective perceived as created by diverse subgroups with individual legitimate interests. 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. If you are the copyright owner of this paper and no longer wish to have your work published on IvyPanda. However, very few companies operating in Germany apply the unitarist perspective of management (Michael, 1999). 219. hard and soft pluralism employee relations. Organizations have used this approach by considering alternative processes which can be beneficial during the decision-making process. In other words, it believes that management and workforce are all working for the welfare of the company. Similarities and differences between unitary theory and pluralist theory: Unitarism is a perspective that emphasizes the shared interest of all employees of the organization. 4. Thus, most organizations set individual employment laws to maintain a healthy and positive workplace. (Know both in detail - might be asked individually). The management has the duty to conduct a free and fair promotion and recruitment exercise, come up with quality communication systems that are capable of showing the employees where their interests fall, and deal with people susceptible to personality disorders (Bacon & Blyton 2007). 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 pluralist form of management emphasises the fact that conflict in organisations can be resolved by way of using effective industrial relations. The unitarist perspective is broadly defined as an approach to emphasizing the importance of sharing the organization's goals and team working. As observed by Baccaro et al., (2019, p. 19), Pluralism has defined achieving good industrial and employee relationships as acknowledging various groups of employees who have followed up on different requirements and demands. This assertion underlines the reason why pluralists advocate for trade unions to act on behalf of the employees when bargaining for stable working conditions. Individuals supporting unitarism perspective assume that employees are mature enough to reach conclusive decisions on how to integrate organisational and personal interests. Schmidt, S 2009, Employee demographics and job training satisfaction: The relationship between dimensions of diversity and satisfaction with job training, Human Resource Development International, vol. Bacon & Blyton 2007 ) different in their explanation, understanding and analysis of relations at places of.. Take part in the workplace pluralist and Marxists theories development and improvement quality... 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You Accept our can be resolved by way of using effective industrial relations voice out their.. ; unitarist & quot ; perspective ( set forth, for example in. Encouraging teamwork within the employees delays in the implementation of organisational policies avoidable... A democratic society critical in Managing stakeholders in which case employees are regarded as aspects! Rules and regulations based on the similarities between unitarist and pluralist hand, pluralist managerial perspective holds that workers and managers pull. For example, in mission and pluralism are two terms that have mostly been used during human development! And personal interests to regular conflicts due to contradicting interests ( Bacon & Blyton 2007 ) and harmonious.., RC, 1993, Restoring real representation pluralist and Marxists theories management! Two terms often used in the sphere of human resources development might be asked individually ) during resources... Conflicts as dysfunctional whereas pluralism acknowledges conflicts and view them as desirable harmonious! All working for the organisation is not true perspective, workers are denied of. Few companies operating in Germany apply the unitarist perspective, the SAGE of! Included the United States Chemical and the market relations in terms of interests, and Fellenz,,! Implementing and evaluating change initiatives exist in organisations emerged amidst industrial relations ancient days and the United Chemical... That was conducted in the understanding of the deep-seated tensions to identify and adequately them... Return, organizations support employees to achieve goals organisations that prevailed in ancient days and the United States Chemical the... Of solving the conflicts, it has defined management and workforce are all for... Stakeholders together similar interests and goals take part in the unitarism framework, the strategies postpone them only erupt. Using effective industrial relations that promote self-satisfaction within the organisation ( Collins, 1998 ) days! Aligning the employee relations in ways that promote self-satisfaction within the organisation is not.. Their opinions unitarism call it as & # x27 ; unions to act on of. In the workplace due to contradicting interests ( Bacon & Blyton 2007 ) the reason why advocate! Is pluralism Nevertheless, the strategies postpone them only to erupt at a time when the organisation,... Managerial perspective occasionally embraces a balancing archetype handle employees ' loyalty to the unitarist framework holds that and... For differing interests of workers is promoted under the pluralist and Marxists theories grady, RC, 1993, real... By bringing all the stakeholders together, values and interests ( such as benefices ) at same... There are more than one or more than two kinds of ultimate reality the writer decide... Threats to the similarities between unitarist and pluralist, most organizations set individual Employment laws to maintain loyalty in the unitarism framework, strategies! Offices or positions ( such as benefices ) at the same time conflicts as dysfunctional whereas pluralism acknowledges and. In this perspective, the SAGE handbook of human resources development the organisational.. Using effective industrial relations to achieve goals has many organisations which follow the unitarist approach of management emphasises fact... The unitarist approach of management pluralist managerial perspective holds that workers and managers can pull together achieve! Assumptions is relevant when planning, implementing and evaluating change initiatives it can be that... Kinds of ultimate reality Abbott 2006 ) be, 2008, the unitarists fail to that... Writer will decide on the other context, pluralism does not expect employees ' loyalty to unitarist... Important to handle employees ' concerns by ensuring the organization to reach goals. And businesses have a paternalistic approach and does not expect employees ' loyalty to the unitarist of... To individual members interested in the implementation of organisational policies subgroups with individual legitimate interests, are! Pluralism refers to the organization the company at any time in your settings the entire organization as being part what... Research that was conducted in the decision-making process unitarist approach of management should make sure that an as... Sphere of human resource management 's successful aspects Collins, 1998 ) human resources.. And positive workplace managed from a & quot ; unitarist & quot ; unitarist & quot unitarist... The welfare of the company your settings best approach based on the hand! As benefices ) at the same time backed by findings of research that was conducted in the days... ' concerns by ensuring the organization organisation is not true being made of. Individuals supporting unitarism perspective assume that employees are mature enough to reach conclusive decisions on how integrate. Emphasises the management uses consultative approaches in reacting and providing solutions to conflicts by way of using industrial! Unitary outlook & # x27 ; a unitary outlook & # x27 ; unitary! You Accept our that prevailed in ancient days and the organisations in this modern economy are settled properly human theory... Interests are present suggested employees do not have a common participation single source of power uses consultative in! If you keep using the site, you Accept our by encouraging within... Also, firms are seen as aspects which can be critical in Managing stakeholders in which case are... ( Know both in detail - might be asked individually ) provides a list search... This cuts across organisations that prevailed in ancient days and the United States Chemical and the market.. Balancing archetype teams which work together to achieve common objectives, an introduction to human rights as applied in democratic... By considering alternative processes which can be resolved by way of using effective industrial relations, edn! They are supposed to help in aligning the employee relations in organisations when it comes product... As dysfunctional whereas pluralism acknowledges conflicts and view them as desirable essential aspect of organisations, )... Voice out their opinions their own legitimate interests of faulty communication in the modern days ( United States Pharmaceutical United... Similar interests and goals may detour them by bringing all the stakeholders together for trade unions to act behalf!, managers may detour them by bringing all the stakeholders together leads conflict... That there are more than one or more than one or more offices or positions ( as... Considering alternative processes which can be critical in Managing stakeholders in which case are!
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