Unitarism in the Workplace

Generally speaking, Unitarism means that every workplace should be integrated as well as harmonious entity which exists for common goal. In unitarism the management’s role is critical and main aim of management is to provide powerful leadership and good way of communiation.In unitarisized organization, Employees should be loyal to their organization as well as their management to meet up their common goals. Most of the unions in the world are existed for loyalty as well as commitment for their employees; however this is the main reason that’s why they are not welcomed by Employers. Sometimes Employees became too familiar with management and sometimes this situation creates conflict between each other.( Morris, R., Mortimer, D. and Leece, P. (Eds). (1999)

In Pluralism , Management supposed to make not only powerful and different sub-groups but also they has to powered these groups with its own legal loyalties and with their own set of objectives as well as leaders. From this discussion, there are mainly two major sub-groups arises – Management and trade unions.

In pluralism it is impossible for management to avoid conflict because Management only cares about achieving its objectives and goals and proper attention on Employees are not given, they just provide usual training to their employees to achieve goals. So in Pluralism, Management is totally focused on achieving goals rather then view employees on personal relationships.( Mortimer, D., Leece, P. and Morris, R. (Eds.), (1998))

• What is Unitarisim? Well in simple sentence unitarism can be called as theory of ordinary purpose as well as mutual goals with no basic conflict of attention between labour and wealth (capital)

As a result of this, Management’s role diversify, less diversify towards enforcing and more powerful towards persuasion and Co-ordination. Mainly Trade unions are legal Council of employees, they are mainly dealt with conflict at workplace and it is not considers as a bad thing if management able to manage trade unions, this can lead management towards progress as well as positive change. (Wiesner, R. and Millett, B. (Eds.), (2001))

Conflict is a deviation, the outcome of Conflict may be:

• Poor communications in organizations between management and employees

• Poor management style as management may not be able to handle employees.

• HRM mainly strategic and logical approach for the management, it is also considered as organisation’s most precious assets – People working in organisation donate for organisation’s success of the business. Human Resource Management had replaced the term ‘Personnel Management’ as HRM involves the process of managing people in organisation. By simple mean, HRM is the process of employing people , developing their assets, utilizing, caring and compensating their services in terms of the job and managerial necessity.( Wood, J., Wallace, J., Zeffane, R., Schermerhorn, Hunt and Osborn, (2001))

There are mainly two approaches in HRM i.e.

• Soft HRM – it relates with growth of humanism, Management gives proper training to their employees as if they are their personal.

• Hard HRM – it relates with active combination of employees into firm objectives , Management seems to be hard with their employees , mostly they are focused on achieving goals.

• In Employment relationship, Neo-institutionalism is the term which is an expanded view of pluralist philosophy which is all about the function of ‘rule-making’.

In management employee relationship, there are mainly two type’s rules

• Formal rules

• Substantive rules

Neo-institutionalism also consists some other features such as

• Neo-intuitionalism is not only open but also endedness in terms of employee relationship

• Neo-Intuitionalism helps to understand the present in relationship with past

• Neo-Intuitionalism also describes and helps employees to understand the real world.( Wooden, M. (2000) , page no . 221)

From recent Australian studies and world, it is shown that, Most of the work currently following unitarism tool of HRM ,because it’s been considered as soft HRM and in this ‘Soft’ HRM, there are several criteria that fulfils today’s dynamic world’s needs and wants , such as –

• Soft HRM mainly focused on individual’s own performance and it’s also focuses on individual’s own development and in Unitarism , all of the employees and management of organization doing team-based work , so it is more favourable for employers. Where as in hard HRM , Management is mostly oriented towards result achieving , so Hard HRM is not very favourable for

• To achieve long term financial goals, most of the employers focused on development of employees because this can be proved positively for them in long term.

References:

Web references:

Unitarism VS Pluralism http://forums.vogue.com.au/archive/index.php/t-122217.html

• Date assessed on – 22-08-2009

Unitarily perspective – from – www.industrialrelations.naukrihub.com/unitary-perspective.html

• Date assessed on – 22-08-2009

Book references:

• Teicher, Holland and Gough (2006) – text book – page no 42 to 46
• Braverman, H. (1974) Labor and Monopoly Capital: the Degradation of Work in the Twentieth Century, New York: Monthly Review Press (331.0904 B739 1 c.1)
• Bray, M., Deery, S., Walsh, J., and Waring, P. (2005) Industrial Relations: A Contemporary Analysis, Sydney: McGraw-Hill.
• Cole, Kris, (2001) Supervision: The Theory and Practice of First Line Management, Frenchs Forest, NSW: Prentice-Hall.
• Colvin, J. and Watson, G. (1998) The Workplace Relations Handbook: A Guide to the Workplace Relations Act 1996, Melbourne: Butterworth.