Theories of Employment - Unitary, Pluralist and Radical Approaches - Essay Example

Employment relation is an aspect of business which is increasingly demanding especially in the rapidly changing business environment. Employment relations tend to be associated with the theory and practice of managing employee relationship. This thereby looks into the socio-political aspect of employee relation and the manner in which the power distribution that takes place between the employees and the management has an effect on conflicts which gives rise to social and legislative employee relations. The different theories of employment like unitary, pluralist and radical ‘approaches’ have made demarcating effect on the employee relationships. This essay looks to present the manner in which unitary, pluralist and radical ‘approaches’ has a relevance on employee relations and the manner the business is able to deal with the changing business environment and ensure that the role of both the employer and the employee can be improved for better business handling. Before moving ahead with the different theories of employee relationship it is important to understand what employment relationship means? Different scholars in various fields like psychology, industrial sociology, human resources and others have tried to explain what employee relationship means. It has been stated by different literature that employee relationship is a corpus of HRM as it helps to understand the interactions that exist between the employer and the employees present within the organization and at all levels (Beardwell & Holden, 1994). Some scholars have even moved ahead and looked towards broadening the meaning of employee relation as it tends to include not only employer employee relationship at the micro level but also at the macro level (Gennard & Judge, 2002). This brings forward to an important direction that employee relationship is both established through normative and unitary concepts. The relationship thus through the above concept looks towards functional interaction and activities so that a collaborative interaction can exist both between the employer and the employee which ensures flexibility, loyalty and trade unions so that no conflicts can take place. This brings forward to a second concept which is pluralist and positivist as it looks at labor laws and tribunals so that employment relationship can be developed based on formal rules which will ensure uniformity in relationship (Teicher, Holland & Gough, 2002). This helps to understand the manner in which the different factors contribute towards the legitimacy of the employment relationship. The willingness of developing an employee relationship should be based on developing a work culture or an environment where there is productive like willingness of labour so that the efforts of the employees and the employer can be directed in a specific manner (Teicher, Holland & Gough, 2002). The importance of legitimacy and developing positive relationship between the employer and the employee has been presented through different opinions and frames which used different references so that the different issues related to people can be dealt in an effective manner. This brings forward that there are three frames of reference which looks into the aspect of employee relations and cab be termed as unitarist, pluralist and Marxist credentials. The paper now looks into the manner in which the different concepts and theories bring forward the use of different ambits and the manner in which employee relationship will be better understood. The concept of unitarism starts from some aspect of assumptions which state that workplace conflicts are bound to happen between the relation of manager and the employee. These aberrations are bound to remain for a certain period of time since both employee and managers have a common interest it will help to remove the difference as insolvency will make them to build cordial relations between them (Fidler, 2001). The differences that exist between the employer and the employee according to the Unitarism concept is said to arises due to disorders in personality, poor communication, lack of proper recruitment and promotional strategy. To remove the differences that arises due to the above mentioned factors that manager should ensure that attention is paid on developing a strategy which helps to treat both the sections equally this will thereby remove the differences. Strategies must be such that it must make the employee understand the underlying interest and their role and even if certain section of the employees are unwilling to cooperate then steps should be taken to either suppress them or dismiss them (Provis, 2009). This brings an important finding through the unitarism concept which states that the organization should look towards promoting the workforce as a single body and steps should be taken to suppress short stewards or trade unions so that better results and relationship are achieved. The unitarism concept is strengthened through the scientific management theory which presents the fact that employees are immature and have limited aspirations which makes the workplace rigid and inflexible. This requires that the role of managers to make the employees understand their roles and tasks so that the pace of growth of work can be still managed. This will thereby ensure that employees are treated impersonally and will help to remove the internal tension which will thereby guide the management to ensure that a single workforce or body has been developed which will help the management to retain superior knowledge and direct the workers to work in a direction which is fit (Adams, 2006). This will help to build a positive relationship and develop positive relationship between the employer and the employee thereby ensuring that the concept of unitarism looks at developing positive employment relationship. The second theory to confirm the unitarist theory is the human relation theory which states that to reduce the tension between the employer and the employee it is important to have a workforce environment where the workplace looks at self-fulfillment. Employees are also treated as different resources used in production process but not giving them the require autonomy to take decisions has resulted them to work as machines and has thereby suppressed their creativity to thins and has affected the relationship. The management to develop positive relations and to have a single force of employee with limited trade union interference need to provide the rights of the employees to them by developing an atmosphere where the employees are allowed to perform their roles and use their skills to reduce the internal tensions. This which act as a laison between the management and the employees at all levels and will develop the required stature which develops employee relations. Pluralist on the other hand present different views in comparison to Unitarist as they say that conflicts will be a part of employee relations and is inevitable. The reason for conflicts between the management and the employee is backed on the fact that both employee and management have different interest. The difference between the interests of both the groups makes them look as their method of working to be correct in comparison to another. This is bound to ensure that conflicts regularly arise between the employer and the employees and easing the tension which increases the role of trade unions and management to solve the differences. The conflicts also helps in germinating new ideas and the involvement of trade unions which represent the employees ensure that the bargianing in collective and helps to deal with the situations in a better manner (Clegg, 2005). This results in developing situations where the employer looks at minimizing workplace conflicts due to increasing barganing power of employees through trade unions and ensure that there is no counter balance of power. Thus, the pluralist concept states the increased role of trade unions to be able to solve the conflicts that exists between the employer and the employee so that better workplace environment is developed. The most prominent theory supporting the pluralist view is that industrial relation is considered as a part of the wider social system. This theory looks to ensure that a wide range of activities to be included like recruitment, holidays, and wages so that better industrial actors are understood which will help to develop proper negotiation and reduce conflicts. This brings forward the fact that four assertions are developed which are having a representation of the employees through trade unions, looking at the environmentalist context, having a web of rule to govern employee relationship, and binding ideologies which makes the governing issues easy (Ackers, 2002). Thus, the most prominent is the role of trade unions which the plualist advocates and having such system in place will help to ensure better relations. Another theory drawing on the pluralist theory is the Strategic Choice theory. This theory brings forward widespread changes that the industries have witnessed which have made changes in the relations. It has been observed that there has been a decline in union membership, the role of trade unions have been altered, and growth of the new structure which looks at increasing sharing of work and knowledge (Anscombe, 2008). This has impacted the relations in a positive manner and has helped to control the role of trade unions and increased the dependence on each other. This has made the traditional role of trade unions to be shaped up and has brought the relations to a new height which looks at developing positive relationship for the betterment of all. An important part of this theory is that it looks at interrelationship between decisions and activities at all levels which has helped to develop coordination and has improved the bargaining power in regard to future training. Thus, this theory has changed the complete outlook of industrial relations and has worked on different aspect so that employment relations in the work place environment can be improved. The radical views as provided by the Marxist help to provide other important directions in the employee relationship. This theory according to the Marxist is based on the fact that there exist wide differences between the wealth holding of individuals. This has resulted in giving more power in a few hands and has resulted in the exploitation of the poor class. Increasing competition and decreasing profits has resulted in decreasing the bargaining power of workers and reduced the wages further. This resulted in creating disharmony between the employer and the employee and the relations got affected. This states that a culture which looks towards developing positive relationship and looks at garnering a positive relationship by adequate share should be looked at. This can to a certain extent be achieved through trade unions but requires the mutual consent of both the employer and the employees (Skillen, 2001). This will help to create a positive atmosphere and support the relations so that the efforts can be united together to ensure better opportunities and development for all The different theories look towards developing a fashion of knowledge through which experience can be garnered and strategies developed for better industrial relations. The different frame of reference further brings forward the manner in which the different factors are having an impact on the total outcome of developing positive employee relationship. In the different radical forms presented on employee relations it is seen that both unitarist and pluralist frames touched on two important aspect and showed the manner in which both the role of trade unions differ and their importance in developing a positive framework for developing employee relations. This brings up to two important ideas that where the social system looks towards political values rather than universal values and interest so that the framework can be developed where values and interest are used in the development of employee relations. The different theories in this direction bring forward the fact that having different issues in business makes the manager and the employee look towards different resort. This makes the presence of both unitarist and pluralist approach applicable in the situation as the different approaches looks to present the different directions which helps in building employee relations. The manner in which the role of trade unions is important and the growth in the different directions has ensured that the strategies to ensure better economic growth and industrial relations can be looked at The different theories of employment like unitary, pluralist and radical ‘approaches’ have made demarcating effect on the employee relationships. The relationship thus through the above concept looks towards functional interaction and activities so that a collaborative interaction can exist both between the employer and the employee which ensures flexibility, loyalty and trade unions so that no conflicts can take place. The manner in which the pluralist, unitarist and radical views have an effect on building employee relations has looked to develop different frames of reference based on which the employee relations can be developed. This paper thereby presents the manner in which the employee relations have been affected and developed due to the presence of different theories in the direction of unitarist, pluralist and radical approaches. This helps to understand the manner in which the different factors contribute towards the legitimacy of the employment relationship. The importance of legitimacy and developing positive relationship between the employer and the employee has been presented through different opinions and frames which used different references so that the different issues related to people can be dealt in an effective manner. The three frames of unitarist, pluralist and radical views have thereby helped to understand the manner in which positive employee relationship can be developed and a framework which looks at developing a positive relationship can be formed. Also, the manner in which the different roles of trade unions has developed and the change in the framework through which the role of trade union has changed can ensure better relations. The evolving role of the trade union and the changing relationship between the employer and the employee will help to build positive relationship and develop their relation References Ackers, P 2002. Reframing Employment Relations: the Case for Neo-Pluralism. Industrial Relations Journal, 33 (1), 2-19 Adams, R. 2006. Motive Utilitarianism. Journal of Philosophy, 73 (12), 467-81 Anscombe, G. 2008. Modern Moral Philosophy. Philosophy, 33 (124), 1-19 Beardwell, I. & Holden, L. 1994. Human Resource Management: A Contemporary Perspective, Pitman, London. Clegg, H. 2005. Pluralism and Industrial Relations. British Journal of Industrial Relations, 13 (3), 309-16 Gennard, J. & Judge, G. 2002. Employee Relations (third edition), Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, Wimbledon Provis, C. 2009. Ethics and Industrial Relations' in C. Leggett and G. Treuren (eds.), Proceedings of 13th AIRAANZ Conference (Adelaide), 1 (7), pp. 193-206 Skillen, A. 2001. Workers’ Interests and the Proletarian Ethic; Conflicting Strains in Marxian Anti-Moralism, in K Nielsen & SC Patten (eds.) Canadian Journal of Philosophy Supplementary Vol. II, Canadian Association for Publishing in Philosophy, Guelph, Ontario, pp. 155-70 Teicher, K., Holland, I. & Gough, P. 2002. The True Society: The Philosophy of Labour, Jonathan Cape, London Read More