The unitarist theory is unrealistic in its outlook. It assumes that organisations will be ‘harmonious and integrated’ and views conflict as abnormal whereas in today’s society conflict is seen as a naturally occurring phenomenon. One of the major weaknesses of this theory is that it does not acknowledge the fact that employees and employers will have different objectives which is one of the main reasons for industrial conflicts. The Marxist theory is considered to be outdated as the whole nature of the class conflict has changed, as a result of contemporary society, ‘with its mixed economy and welfare state, is now more open and socially mobile’, (Wallace, Gunnigle and McMahon 2004). The theory which in my opinion is the ‘best’ or most appropriate theory of industrial relations is the Pluralist theory. This theory has been in pole position in western societies for over thirty years. In today’s environment it is the most realistic theory as it assumes conflict is inevitable and recognizes that both employees and employers will have different objectives unlike the unitarist theories beliefs. It is now recognized that better managed industrial relations programmes and cooperation with trade unions can seriously impact on the prevention of disputes, increase productivity, quality and the motivation of workers within organisations and help to align employee objectives with the organisations
The unitarist theory is unrealistic in its outlook. It assumes that organisations will be ‘harmonious and integrated’ and views conflict as abnormal whereas in today’s society conflict is seen as a naturally occurring phenomenon. One of the major weaknesses of this theory is that it does not acknowledge the fact that employees and employers will have different objectives which is one of the main reasons for industrial conflicts. The Marxist theory is considered to be outdated as the whole nature of the class conflict has changed, as a result of contemporary society, ‘with its mixed economy and welfare state, is now more open and socially mobile’, (Wallace, Gunnigle and McMahon 2004). The theory which in my opinion is the ‘best’ or most appropriate theory of industrial relations is the Pluralist theory. This theory has been in pole position in western societies for over thirty years. In today’s environment it is the most realistic theory as it assumes conflict is inevitable and recognizes that both employees and employers will have different objectives unlike the unitarist theories beliefs. It is now recognized that better managed industrial relations programmes and cooperation with trade unions can seriously impact on the prevention of disputes, increase productivity, quality and the motivation of workers within organisations and help to align employee objectives with the organisations