]: Sage. 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). This frame of reference is the dominant one of contemporary employers. Moreover, pluralism is not paternalistic in its approach; hence, it does not expect the loyalty of the employees. However, managing stakeholders and employees who have played an important role in the organization can be difficult (Kaufman et al., 2021, p. 204). Unitarian has defined working as an entire organization as a big family and sharing common goals and purpose to become successful. According to Bacon and Fox, workforce and management have a unity of interests, and any conflict in practice occurs due to poor employment practices. 2023. The unitarist model sees organizational employees as psychological beings who have more social that need to be satisfied rather than economic beings whose employment relationship is based on economical and financial rewards (Budd and Bhave 2010, pp. Hence, it is hard for any organisation to bring all the stakeholders together and share common interests and values (Kessler & Purcell 2003). One of the aspects of managerial relations is the collective bargaining (Bacon & Blyton 2007). Unitarists do not believe in the role of trade unions in the organisations (Dzimbiri 2008). It has been identified that stakeholders are rational. ]: Univ. The pluralist perspective has a strong link with the modern world. The results were that a number of entrepreneurs and employers have begun to make attempts to de-unionise their firms. Between the two perspectives, pluralist managerial perspective is the better. 24-41. Collective bargaining offers a platform where all parties participate in a democratic decision-making process. 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. Managers have great power, and they exert influence on employees in determining the environment under which the employees work. This perspective embraces a wide range of policies related to employee relations. Teamwork promotes cooperation between employees, therefore, avoiding chances of conflict of interest. The management needs to treat the issue of workplace relations as a hole. One of the theories is the theory of scientific management devised by Taylor (Ross & Bamber 2009). This is contrary to the unitarist model of management, which does not identify the presence of a conflict in firms. StudyCorgi. Side by Side Comparison Unitarism vs Pluralism in Tabular Form However, it has been identified that conflict has been considered abnormal in this approach. 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. Similarities and differences between unitary theory and pluralist theory: Unitarism is a perspective that emphasizes the shared interest of all employees of the organization. On the other hand, the pluralist perspective employs conflict management strategies to address the challenges a conflict poses. There are a number of variations on all these themes. Ferner, A and Hyman, R, 1998, Changing industrial relations in Europe. Views. This is IvyPanda's free database of academic paper samples. In this approach, the conflict has been used to understand employees' identities and address practical aspects (Kramar et al., 2021, p. 567). Employment is not enough (Singh & Loncar 2010). Abbott, K 2006, A review of employment relations theories and their application, Problems and Perspectives in Management, vol. 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. StudyCorgi. In this paper, see the writer will explore the advantages and disadvantages of both concepts, explaining their meaning, similarities and differences. a more recent variant, the neo-unitarist perspective; conflict theory, including the Marxist and pluralist perspectives; systems approach and the contrasting social action perspective. When conflicts are effectively managed, the organisation gets a chance to have a new look and create more room for development. "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. This leads to new innovations in firms. Unitarists teach that organisations need to have a common interest and a single focus of loyalty. The perspective fails to give human resource guidelines that would make it more effective. In this case, workers are forced to accept management decisions. It is also claimed that unitarism has been used in management in western countries. In contrast, pluralism does not have a paternalistic approach and does not expect the loyalty of the employees. The firm works closely whereby the management and employees share common objectives or purpose. The shift from personnel management to human resource management has a conceptual backing in the pluralist model of labour management. Unitarist holds that workplace conflict is avoidable. Therefore, the way they are managed determines how the organisation performs. 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. Such a system is achievable by encouraging teamwork within the organisation. Unitarists base their arguments on postulations that workplace conflict is an avoidable feature of relationships between employees and their managers. Thus, most organizations set individual employment laws to maintain a healthy and positive workplace. The database is updated daily, so anyone can easily find a relevant essay example. This paper analyses the relationship between unitarist perspective and the pluralist perspective as applied in management. Consequently, it is hard for any organisation to circumvent workplace conflicts. This is the basic difference between unitarism and pluralism in HR. 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. In the other context, pluralism has suggested employees do not have similar interests and goals. The assumption that workplace conflict is avoidable, as the unitarists believe is not true. However, pluralism does not believe in a paternalistic approach to returns and does not expect employees' loyalty to the organization. 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. Therefore, to harness this diversity and use it productively, managers need to embrace conflicting opinions. However, it has clearly defined reciprocal rights and obligations created between employees and employers. In the end, the employees end up resisting the decisions leading to conflicts. Side by Side Comparison Unitarism vs Pluralism in Tabular Form, Difference Between Coronavirus and Cold Symptoms, Difference Between Coronavirus and Influenza, Difference Between Coronavirus and Covid 19, Difference Between Gene Amplification and Gene Cloning, Difference Between Transport Chair and Wheelchair, Difference Between Investment Management and Wealth Management, What is the Difference Between Body Wash and Shower Gel, What is the Difference Between Ice Pick and Thunderclap Headache, What is the Difference Between Macular Degeneration and Macular Edema, What is the Difference Between Preganglionic and Postganglionic Brachial Plexus Injury, What is the Difference Between Polyhydramnios and Oligohydramnios, What is the Difference Between Laceration and Abrasion. 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). This perspective also considers alternative processes that can be used in decision making (Edwards, 2007). Although pluralism does not consider management power exercised, it has recommended dispersed effective power instead of concentrating on some individual persons. However, it is difficult for any employer to follow each employment law. Therefore, this approach has expected employees' loyalty. This approach has defined guidelines and procedures for significant shortcomings. The hierarchy not only leads to conflict, but also delays in the implementation of organisational policies. The pluralistic approach does not view the role of managers as to implement organisational policies. Organisations do not have time to get the opinion of every employee. August 1, 2022. https://ivypanda.com/essays/unitarist-and-pluralist-managerial-perspectives/. (Grady et al., 2019, p. 490). Thus, this In this perspective, trade unions are seen as unnecessary because the loyalty between workers and managements are regarded mutually exclusive where there cannot be two sides of organization. In case one of the interests dominates the others, an organisation is likely to face a crisis (Ackers 2002). The unitarist framework holds that workers and managers can pull together to achieve common objectives, values and interests. 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). In a unitarist managerial approach, the management would be caught unprepared by challenges posed by workplace conflict. Although there is no significant backing, it can be speculated that Germany has many organisations which follow the unitarist approach of management. They champion for the employees interests and makes sure that leaders address the interests. According to this perspective, unions are viewed as legitimate representatives that represent the interests of employees. This has been backed by findings of research that was conducted in the year 2003. During this time, industry was the term used to mean the manufacturing firm (Ferner and Hyman, 1998). hard and soft pluralism employee relations. 297-312. February 20, 2023. https://studycorgi.com/unitarist-and-pluralist-perspectives-in-management/. They believe that the conflicts help the management to unravel the underlying tensions, therefore, helping them to come up with measures to mitigate them. ( Bacon & Blyton 2007 ) of a conflict in firms viewed as legitimate representatives represent... Holds that workers and managers can pull together to achieve common objectives, values and interests determining... 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