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.
Unitarism and Pluralism are two terms or concepts that differ from each other in their definitions and approach. Both these terms are often used in the sphere of human resources development.
CONTENTS
1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is Unitarism
3. What is Pluralism
4. Side by Side Comparison – Unitarism vs Pluralism in Tabular Form
5. Summary
What is Unitarism?
Unitarism is a perspective that emphasizes the shared interest of all employees of the organization. In other words, it believes that management and workforce are all working for the welfare of the company. Unitarism perceives the entire organization as one big family where everyone shares common goals and purposes. Conflicting objectives are seen as abnormal in this perspective. Moreover, this stance has a paternalistic approach and expects the loyalty of the employees.
What is Pluralism?
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. Thus, management has to reach compromises. This belief also acknowledges conflicts and consider them as desirable.
Pluralism does not believe in the power exercised by the management. It recommends the power to be nicely dispersed rather than concentrated in the hands of a few individuals. Pluralism also gives ample opportunity for employees to voice out their opinions. Moreover, pluralism is not paternalistic in its approach; hence, it does not expect the loyalty of the employees.
What is the Difference Between Unitarism and Pluralism?
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 is the key difference between unitarism and pluralism. While unitarism advocates that all employees share common interests and goals, pluralism suggests that all employees do not have conflicting goals and interests. The perspective on conflict is another major difference between unitarism and pluralism. Unitarism view conflicts as dysfunctional whereas pluralism acknowledges conflicts and view them as desirable. Unitarism has a paternalistic approach and expects the loyalty of the employees. In contrast, pluralism does not have a paternalistic approach and does not expect the loyalty of the employees
Summary – Unitarism vs Pluralism
Unitarism and pluralism are two terms often used in the sphere of human resources development. Unitarism is a perspective that emphasizes the shared interests of all members of an organization. In contrast, pluralism is a perspective that perceives an organization as being made up of divergent sub-groups having their own legitimate interests. This is the basic difference between unitarism and pluralism in HR.
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