Employee Relations Argumentative Essay Example

INSTITUTION

It produces and distributes incomes.

• POLITICAL INSTITUTION

It embodies a system of government in which managers collectively exercise authority over the managed, but are also themselves involved in an intricate pattern of political relationships.

• SOCIAL INSTITUTION

It is revealed in the plant community, which evolves from below out of face-to-face relationsbased on shared interests, sentiments, beliefs and values among various group of employees.

Pluralism conventionally regards the workforce as being represented by ‘an opposition that does not seek to govern’. Pluralism involves ‘a balance of power between two organized interests and a sufficient degree of trust within the relationship (usually) for each side to respect the other’s legitimate and, on occasions, separate interests, and for both sides to refrain from pushing their interest separately to the point where it became impossible to keep the show on the road’.

The tradition of bargaining at plant or even organization level has reinforced a pluralistic concept. ’

• THE RECONCILIATION OF INTERESTS

The implication of the pluralistic approach to employee relations is that there has to be some process for reconciling different interests. This can be achieved through formal agreements where there are recognized trade unions or staff associations. The absence of these may indicate that management adopts a unitary philosophy. But it is to be hoped that in these ircumstances management’s efforts to increase mutuality and gain commitment adopt a stakeholder or partnership approach which at least involves consultation with employees on how the joint interests of the organization and its members can best be satisfied.

• INDIVIDUALISM AND COLLECTIVISM

Purcell (1987) argues that the distinction between pluralist and unitary frames of management has ‘provided a powerful impetus to the debate about management style, but

the mutually exclusive nature of these categories has limited further development’.

Moreover, wide variations can be found within both the unitary and the pluralist approach. He therefore suggests an alternative distinction between ‘individualism’–policies focusing on individual employees – and ‘collectivism’ – the extent to which groups of workers have an independent voice and participate in decision making with managers. He believes that companies can and do operate on both these dimensions of management style.