Malden, Mass. Unitarist and Pluralist Perspectives in Management. professional specifically for you? Similarities Between Federalist 10 And 51. The market relations entail the terms and conditions of employee recruitment and are economic in nature. "Unitarist Perspective vs. Pluralist Perspective Case Study." it is the major difference between the Unitarian and Pluralism approaches. The management acts as a mediator between the perceived competitors. 3, pp. Unitarist and Pluralist Perspectives in Management. The unitary perspective embraces a unitarist view if the employment relationship. February 20, 2023. https://studycorgi.com/unitarist-and-pluralist-perspectives-in-management/. However, this approach values employees' unions and roles to avoid issues between employees and employers. Despite the high levels of unemployment, firms in Germany have remained relatively competitive. In the pluralist perspective, firms are perceived to have been made up of powerful sub-groups that are divergent in roles and goals. 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). According to pluralists, organisations are more susceptible to conflicts than harmony. https://studycorgi.com/unitarist-and-pluralist-perspectives-in-management/. Different employees and organisational leaders hold different opinions and have competing interests (Gennard & Judge 2002). 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. The. This approach has defined guidelines and procedures for significant shortcomings. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Copyright 2010-2018 Difference Between. The philosophy suggests that conflict is not an inherent factor in the place of work. Surfacing unitarist-versus-pluralist assumptions is relevant when planning, implementing and evaluating change initiatives. Unitarian has defined working as an entire organization as a big family and sharing common goals and purpose to become successful. The managerial relations are the most crucial in an organisation as they determine its success. Under this perspective of management, conflict is not overlooked or ignored, but it is managed effectively through the participation of stakeholders of the firm. In this case, human resource management, which has been adopted by many organisations these days, addresses the needs of employees in a significant way. 3a : a theory that there are more than one or more than two kinds of ultimate reality. The Germany system does not give room for using the unitarist framework of human resource management (Michael, 1999). For the management to bring the employees together, it requires to go through the heavy task of convincing them on the need for coming together. Edwards, P, 2007, Industrial relations: Theory and practice. Unitarists base their arguments on postulations that workplace conflict is an avoidable feature of relationships between employees and their managers. This is the key difference between unitarism and pluralism. Unitarists emphasize a single (unitary) interest of all the members of an organisation, which if properly managed, will result in the harmonious functioning of the organization. Unitarism and Pluralism are two terms or concepts that differ from each other in their definitions and approach. The radical perspective is sometimes referred to as the Marxist view. 2023. Wilton, N, and Wilton, N, 2011, An introduction to human resource management. It does not have descriptions of how individual employee interests and sentiments can be fully integrated into the objectives of the firm. StudyCorgi. Storey, J 2000, The Realities of Human Resource Management: Managing The Employment Relationship, Open University Press, Buckingham. They can and should make sure that an organization is managed from a single source of power. 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. 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. These features are the managerial relations and the market relations. Also, firms are seen as composing teams which work together to reach mutual goals. Previous Article. 187-198. The perspective on conflict is another major difference between unitarism and pluralism. The theory cites the states role as being that of guarding public interests; protection of the weak; and restraining power for the strong. If the managers become convincing and influential, the need for trade unions can quickly be done away with (Giri, 2008). 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. Unitarian has clearly defined individual employees who share common interests and goals. Conflict is an unavoidable aspect of the current economy, characterised by competition coupled with a lot of dynamics. 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. Therefore, this approach has expected employees' loyalty. In a unitarist managerial approach, the management would be caught unprepared by challenges posed by workplace conflict. Gennard, J & Judge, G 2002, Employee Relations, 3rd edn, Institute of Personnel and Development, Wimbledon. However, it is also important to note that some companies in the United States Companies, such as the United States Branch Bank, the United States Consumer Oil, and the United States Chemical, follow a pluralist strategy of human resource management. Pluralists assert that learning that trade unions and shop stewards are likely to cause trouble in an organisation leaves the management at a better position to address the issues of employee relations in a holistic manner. 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). 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). Collective bargaining offers a platform where all parties participate in a democratic decision-making process. It recommends the power to be nicely dispersed rather than concentrated in the hands of a few individuals. Therefore, trade unions are not seen as essential elements in managing employees and conflicts in the organisation. This is the key difference between unitarism and pluralism. These organisations have a relatively high priority in human resource management. New York: McGraw-Hill. Unitarian has referred to individual members interested in the organization. Unitarists teach that organisations need to have a common interest and a single focus of loyalty. Also, it links labour to human rights as applied in a democratic society. Compare the Difference Between Similar Terms. Pluralists view business organisations as plural societies that hold numerous related but separate goals and interests, which the managers ought to establish some form of equilibrium to maintain them. Unitarist Perspective vs. Pluralist Perspective Case Study. This perspective emphasises the management role, which entails attaining a win-win situation for both workers and the firm in general. Each organization has a shared relationship 150th fellow employee. 2 : the quality or state of being plural. Individuals supporting unitarism perspective assume that employees are mature enough to reach conclusive decisions on how to integrate organisational and personal interests. 57). Instead, it needs to embrace workplace conflicts and look for ways to turn the conflicts into productive undertakings. They lead to the breakdown of communication across the different departments. Ross, P & Bamber, G 2009, Strategic choices in pluralist and unitarist employment relations regimes: A study of Australian telecommunications, Industrial & Labour Relations Review, vol. 65 no. This is because it allows for a participatory aspect of management. Trade unions have legal backing in the representation of workers as they aid employees in emphasising their power in decision making (Colling and Terry, 2010). The two perspectives have different opinions regarding organisational management. Pluralists emphasise on the need for striking an even-handed balance between the different interests in a business organisation to circumvent negative results. Different models and perspectives have been adopted by various organisations to manage employees. Thus, management has to reach compromises. The shift from personnel management to human resource management has a conceptual backing in the pluralist model of labour management. Workplace conflict, if managed effectively, would promote innovativeness in an organisation, which underlines the reason why pluralists advocate for the management to manage the conflict but not rebuke and criticise it. [u.a. However, it has been identified that conflict has been considered abnormal in this approach. In the unitarism framework, the firm is perceived as being an integrated and harmonious whole. Unitarists believe that using a single source of power might help to curb conflict, which may apply for small institutions (Abbott 2006). Bacon, N & Blyton, P 2007, Conflict for Mutual Gains? Journal of Management Studies, vol. Thus, conflicts are not seen as aspects which can be used to bring about a harmonious environment in the workplace. The management has the duty to portray rational leadership during the recruitment process and when instructing employees. This is an illustration which points to the fact that pluralism is a right approach to management. Thus, pluralism has not referred to a paternalistic approach and does not expect loyalty from employees (Bosch et al., 2020, p. 189). While unitarism advocates that all employees share common interests and goals, pluralism suggests that all employees do not have conflicting goals and interests. Moreover, unitarists believe that employees do not need having trade unions, as the unions add to workplace conflicts. February 20, 2023. https://studycorgi.com/unitarist-and-pluralist-perspectives-in-management/. When conflicts are effectively managed, the organisation gets a chance to have a new look and create more room for development. This is because it allows for differing interests of workers and managers. "Unitarist Perspective vs. Pluralist Perspective Case Study." The unitarist perspective is broadly defined as an approach to emphasizing the importance of sharing the organization's goals and team working. Cheltenham [u.a. It is also participatory in nature and acknowledges the prevalence of conflict in firms. Since it is hard for organisational leaders to do away with competition within the organisation, they need to look for ways of exploiting the competition in a profitable way. However, the strategies it gives appear more intimidating to employees. Giles, A 1998, Theories and concepts in comparative industrial relations, University of South Carolina Press, South Carolina. StudyCorgi. Numerous well-known firms have been brought out as having applied the unitarist perspective in human resource management. 1. They believe that the conflicts help the management to unravel the underlying tensions, therefore, helping them to come up with measures to mitigate them. be united. According to this perspective, unions are viewed as legitimate representatives that represent the interests of employees. 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). This is because it values labour unions and their roles in managing conflicts between employers and employees (Balnave, 2007). 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. Terms of Use and Privacy Policy: Legal. Bendix, S, 2000, The basics of labour relations. However, it has clearly defined reciprocal rights and obligations created between employees and employers. ]: Elgar. This paper analyses the relationship between unitarist perspective and the pluralist perspective as applied in management. 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. IvyPanda, 1 Aug. 2022, ivypanda.com/essays/unitarist-and-pluralist-managerial-perspectives/. 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). Pluralists draw their inspirations from the systems theory devised by Dunlop in 1958. If you use an assignment from StudyCorgi website, it should be referenced accordingly. Two of such reference points are the unitarist and the pluralist managerial perspectives. This is contrary to the unitarist model of management, which does not identify the presence of a conflict in firms. 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). No one perspective gives a perfect view but each illuminates our understanding of the subject. This is IvyPanda's free database of academic paper samples. August 1, 2022. https://ivypanda.com/essays/unitarist-and-pluralist-managerial-perspectives/. From the research, it was deduced that the administration of Germany gives preference to the pluralist form of human resource management. Hence, the conflict that emerges between the parties is a result of personality muddle, poor communication, poor promotion practices, or inappropriate recruitment. Unitarism is a perspective that emphasizes the shared interest of all employees of the organization. Leaders act to promote the commitment and fidelity of employees to the organisations. Unitarist and pluralist paradigms differently see the conflict and ways to resolve it. In the other context, pluralism has suggested employees do not have similar interests and goals. Since the approach empowers the employees, they feel comfortable and they commit themselves to organisational goals. The perspective sees unions as being competitors who compete for the loyalty of employees as well as their commitment. 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). The assumption that workplace conflict is avoidable, as the unitarists believe is not true. In the unitarism framework, the firm is perceived as being an integrated and harmonious whole. Therefore, it is required for the organization's management department to reach out to individual employees to make compromises. @media (max-width: 1171px) { .sidead300 { margin-left: -20px; } } The modern human resource management focuses on ensuring that employee and employer conflicts are settled properly. 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 theory treats industrial relations as constituents of a wider social system (Kessler & Purcell 2003). 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