Hence, it is hard for any organisation to bring all the stakeholders together and share common interests and values (Kessler & Purcell 2003). For instance, Ford Motor Company was well-known in the 1920s for adopting the unitarist philosophy, which held that management and labor had similar interests and were working together to further the company's success. This paper was written and submitted to our database by a student to assist your with your own studies. It compares these two perspectives in a broader sense, and from the analysis, the most useful view of employee management shall be singled out. Grand Central Mimico. Along with that, it has helped mitigate any issues by maintaining effective employment relationships (Gumbrell et al., 2019, p. 99). The experts of unitarism call it as 'a unitary outlook'. The unitarist is likened to utopic or authoritarian regimes. The perspective on conflict is another major difference between unitarism and pluralism. Conflict is an unavoidable aspect of the current economy, characterised by competition coupled with a lot of dynamics. A pluralistic managerial perspective occasionally embraces a balancing archetype. 24-41. 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. However, it has had constraining factors that undermine it. The level of employee relations in pluralism makes it appropriate for diverse organisations and national cultures. Therefore, unions are disliked. 57). 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. 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). It acts as the conduit through which employees present their problems. The. Unitarist Perspective vs. Pluralist Perspective Case Study. 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. Western firms, particularly the Australian firms, have tiny elements of pluralism. Yes you are right Unitarian are individual members interested in the organization. The theory treats industrial relations as constituents of a wider social system (Kessler & Purcell 2003). In the unitarism framework, the firm is perceived as being an integrated and harmonious whole. Martin, J, and Fellenz, M, 2010, Organizational behaviour and management. Hence, the management ought to work on the forces that unite it with the employees by establishing a working environment that promotes autonomy. This perspective also considers alternative processes that can be used in decision making (Edwards, 2007). Ferner, A and Hyman, R, 1998, Changing industrial relations in Europe. "Unitarist Perspective vs. Pluralist Perspective Case Study." Unitarism and pluralism are two terms often used in the sphere of human resources development. 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 comparison to the unitarist theory where there is only one source of loyalty and authority which resides with management, the pluralist theory has many sources of loyalty and authority to management, trade unions and other interests groups. London [u.a. (2022, August 1). On the other hand, the pluralist perspective employs conflict management strategies to address the challenges a conflict poses. Instead, it needs to embrace workplace conflicts and look for ways to turn the conflicts into productive undertakings. New York: McGraw-Hill. However, the strategies it gives appear more intimidating to employees. 1. must. In this paper, see the writer will explore the advantages and disadvantages of both concepts, explaining their meaning, similarities and differences. The employer-employee relations can be said to have two crucial but different features. The unitary perspective embraces a unitarist view if the employment relationship. Overview and Key Difference These include the unitarism, pluralism and radicalism. You can update your choices at any time in your settings. 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. Meanwhile, pluralists hold that workplace conflicts are inevitable. Unitarist and Pluralist Perspectives in Management. Therefore, conflict can be used in the understanding of the deep-seated tensions to identify and adequately address them. Rather than imposing policies on employees, managers are supposed to help in reconciling the competing parties within an organisation. Employment laws are used to prevent discrimination, and harassment, promote health and safety protocols, avoid any disruption, and create minimum levels of economic support (Holgate et al., 2021, p. 226). Pluralism also allowed employees to raise their voices and value individual employees' opinions. In case one of the interests dominates the others, an organisation is likely to face a crisis (Ackers 2002). ]: Sage. 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. Based on this perspective, pluralists believe that it is hard to do away with different sources of power within a business institution. This is the key difference between unitarism and pluralism. * Hyperlink the URL after pasting it to your document, Business Core Competencies and Competitive Strategies, Service Quality Factors in the Airline Industry, Using One Thousand Dollars to Develop the Handball Team, Ethical Leadership Model in Organizations, Proctor and Gamble and Unilever Companies Marketing, Effective Procurement Activities Added Value, Our site uses cookies. This paper analyses the relationship between unitarist perspective and the pluralist perspective as applied 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. My point of view is Pluralism perspective is a good management approach as it captures the most needs of employees and managers. In contrast, pluralism is a perspective that perceives an organization as being made up of divergent sub-groups having their own legitimate interests. 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). 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. 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. 3, pp. This frame of reference is the dominant one of contemporary employers. Views: 108. Published: 23 Aug, 2021. Therefore, the organisational management team needs to look for the opportunities that might help it to use the emerging conflicts to boost organisational growth. They do follow a non-union labour policy. 2 : the quality or state of being plural. Unitarianism has a perspective that shares individual members' interests in the organization (Fabiano et al., 2019, p. 297). Pluralists emphasise on the need for striking an even-handed balance between the different interests in a business organisation to circumvent negative results. Abbott, K 2006, A review of employment relations theories and their application, Problems and Perspectives in Management, vol. This aspect arouses the feeling of co-ownership of the organisation in employees, and thus they commit to enhancing its growth. Thus, this However, this approach values employees' unions and roles to avoid issues between employees and employers. However, there is no single company which operates in Germany that has fully modelled itself as a valid user of unitarism in its human resource management. "Unitarist and Pluralist Perspectives in Management." The pluralistic approach does not view the role of managers as to implement organisational policies. 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). Danny Danforth. These perspectives are different in their explanation, understanding and analysis of relations at places of work. Radcliffe, D, 2005, Critique of Human Resources Theory. Edwards, P, 2007, Industrial relations: Theory and practice. Unitarian has referred to individual members interested in the organization. The perspective fails to give human resource guidelines that would make it more effective. Different employees and organisational leaders hold different opinions and have competing interests (Gennard & Judge 2002). 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. The unitarist approach consists of all members sharing the same interest and being homogenous. Your email address will not be published. StudyCorgi. Ross, P & Bamber, G 2009, Strategic choices in pluralist and unitarist employment relations regimes: A study of Australian telecommunications, Industrial & Labour Relations Review, vol. "Unitarist Perspective vs. Pluralist Perspective Case Study." (Grady et al., 2019, p. 490). People have different ways of interpreting the events they come across in their daily life. Pluralists view workplace conflicts in a positive dimension. Collins, D, 1998, Organizational Change: Sociological Perspective. Therefore, trade unions are not seen as essential elements in managing employees and conflicts in the organisation. 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. For instance, workplace conflict resolution rules or laws can be established through industrial relations (Grady, 1993). This assumption makes the perspective weak, since it is hard for individuals with differing opinions to come up with an agreement without following a particular guideline. This leads to new innovations in firms. Starbucks Corporation's Global Marketing in Italy. The unitarist approach holds that workplace conflicts are avoidable. 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). Copyright 2023 - IvyPanda is operated by, Unitarist Perspective vs. Pluralist Perspective Case Study, Improving the Creativity of Organizational Work Groups, Advantages and Disadvantages of Performance-Related Pay Systems, The Management of Employee Industrial Relations, Organisational Conflict: Unitarist v Pluralist Views, The Etihad Airways Theoretical Perspectives, Boeing Company's Employee Relations Strategy, The Construction Forestry Mining Energy Union's Strike, International Relations: Mainstream Theories, Total Quality Management and Organizational Culture, Critically assess the extent to which HPWP relies on the intensification of work, Stakeholder Management and the Effect on Increasing Its Efficiency of Work in Public Sector Entities. Outsiders are seen as immaterial as representatives and businesses have a common participation. This is IvyPanda's free database of academic paper samples. If you are the copyright owner of this paper and no longer wish to have your work published on IvyPanda. 2 : the quality or state of being plural. 12 no. Unitarian and pluralism are two terms that have mostly been used during Human resources development. Along with that, maintaining work efficiency is required to maintain loyalty in the workplace. The management has to show strong leadership to meet the goals set by the organisation. Pluralists perceive business organisations as intricate social constructions that comprise of groups of people with conflicting interests. This is the key difference between unitarism and pluralism. On the other hand, pluralism does not believe in the power exercised by the management. 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). In return, organizations support employees to achieve goals. 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). IvyPanda. Moreover, this stance has a paternalistic . Managers have great power, and they exert influence on employees in determining the environment under which the employees work. Web. 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. Conflict is inevitable. b : a theory that reality is composed of a plurality of entities. What is Pluralism Bendix, S, 2000, The basics of labour relations. 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). ensure the integrity of our platform while keeping your private information safe. Unitarist Perspective vs. Pluralist Perspective Case Study. This aspect underlines why the unitarist managerial perspective calls for common interests among the employees. Unitarist and pluralist paradigms differently see the conflict and ways to resolve it. 1 : the holding of two or more offices or positions (such as benefices) at the same time. Since pluralism realises that conflicts are one of the essential tenets of organisations, it puts in place conflict resolution mechanisms that can be used in the management of conflicts. If you keep using the site, you accept our. 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. According to them, trade unions are illegal interruptions to management objectives. London: Routledge. of South Carolina Press. United States, 2011, Occupational outlook handbook 2011-2012. Pluralism does not believe in the power exercised by the management. All instructions ought to come from the management team (Ross & Bamber 2009). Also, the unitarist perspective regards conflict negatively. This perspective emphasises the management role, which entails attaining a win-win situation for both workers and the firm in general. Unitarism has a paternalistic approach and expects the loyalty of the employees. Between the two perspectives, pluralist managerial perspective is the better. Similarities and differences between unitary theory and pluralist theory: Unitarism is a perspective that emphasizes the shared interest of all employees of the organization. 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). 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). 20 February. Retrieved from https://ivypanda.com/essays/unitarist-and-pluralist-managerial-perspectives/. Figure 2: Differences between Unitarian and Pluralism. This case study on Unitarist Perspective vs. Pluralist Perspective Case Study was written and submitted by your fellow For the organisation to curb conflicts, it has to ensure that all stakeholders take part in the decision-making process. be united. This generates different kinds of constraints. The pluralist theory holds that the workplaces are made up of different sets of attitudes, values, behaviours, and beliefs. The employment relationship can be conceptualised as Alan Fox (1966) introduce three main frames of reference; unitarist, pluralist and radical approaches. The other point that forms the basis of unitarism is that the activities of trade unions are not legitimate. This is different from firms in the United Kingdom and the United States. It recommends the power to be nicely dispersed rather than concentrated in the hands of a few individuals. The theory also holds that organisations have divergent sources of leadership which are opposing in nature. February 20, 2023. https://studycorgi.com/unitarist-and-pluralist-perspectives-in-management/. 1, pp. The pluralist managerial perspective offers the best solution for dealing with contemporary organisations. Individuals supporting unitarism perspective assume that employees are mature enough to reach conclusive decisions on how to integrate organisational and personal interests. 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