Difference Between HR Unitarism and Pluralism

Difference Between HR 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

Are you working with someone who is critical, narcissistic, manipulative, self-serving, or paranoid? Conflict in the workplace is inevitable, simply because people are different from one another. In order to create a healthy, harmonious environment where your company can thrive, workplace conflicts need to be defused as quickly as possible.

Workplace conflict can manifest in a multitude of ways including insults or bullying, aggression, refusal to cooperate, ignoring or ghosting others. And the negative effects of these actions can include emotional stress, decreased productivity, project failure, absenteeism, turnover and a generally negative and toxic work environment for all – even for those not directly involved in the conflict. It’s pretty obvious that resolving conflict in the workplace is key.

Enlightened conflict management honors the energetic space between individuals with the goal of keeping that space clean. When conflicts arise, enlightened leaders and managers have the presence of mind to differentiate substance from static and steer their teams away from ego-driven emotions toward places of mutuality and shared goals.

Causes of conflict in the workplace vary, but experts recognize a few key areas worth mentioning.

1. Poor Communication

This is one of the main causes of conflict between employees in the workplace. Poor communication can come from management or be between employees and can include things like misinformation, lack of information and comments out of context.

2. Personality and values clashes

When people don’t recognize, understand or accept differences in others, conflicts can arise. In today’s hyper-divided political and social environment, it’s even more critical to honor the differences between one other. Focus on your shared goals at work. Find the common ground you share as people and stay clear of heated conversations.

3. Scarcity of resources and overwhelming workloads

When companies lack sufficient resources for employees to do their jobs, pressure to compete for those resources can arise, leaving some team members feeling like they’re set up for failure. Or if people feel that their workload is unmanageable or that they’re being pushed too hard to perform, resentment toward leaders or co-workers can set in, breeding conflict.

4. Lack of clarity on roles and responsibilities

If job descriptions and roles are not clear, people may find either that they’re stepping on one another’s toes because who does what was never clear. Or activities may fall through the cracks because people assume ‘the other person’ was responsible for it.

Additional sources of conflict can include poor management, unfair or discriminatory treatment, inadequate training, lack of opportunities, unhealthy competition, changes to internal systems, mergers, acquisitions or layoffs, or even an unintentional slight or annoying habit that rubs someone the wrong way.

Difference Between HR Unitarism and Pluralism

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