Understanding the frames before Fox: the development of unitary and pluralist views on organisations
| Date | 18 June 2024 |
| Pages | 1233-1245 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/ER-03-2024-0188 |
| Published date | 18 June 2024 |
| Subject Matter | HR & organizational behaviour,Industrial/labour relations,Employment law |
| Author | Andy Hodder |
Understanding the frames before
Fox: the development of unitary
and pluralist views
on organisations
Andy Hodder
Birmingham Business School, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
Abstract
Purpose –This article examines the intellectual antecedents of Alan Fox’s frames of reference and contributes
to academic work that seeks to unravel the pre-Donovan roots of British industrial relations. It examines the
origins of the unitary and pluralist frames of reference with a particular focus on the work of Norman Ross.
Design/methodology/approach –This article draws on published academic materials to examine the
origins of the unitary and pluralist frames of reference.
Findings –The article identifies usage of the term “frame of reference”in industrial relations literature from
the 1940s and demonstrates the origins of the unitary and pluralist conceptionsof the firm in the works of Ross
in the 1950s and 1960s.
Originality/value –The article provides a “fresh look”at the origins of the frames of reference.
Keywords Industrial relations, Management attitudes, Pluralist, Unitary, Alan Fox, Frames of reference
Paper type General review
1. Introduction
This article examines the intellectual antecedents of Alan Fox’s frames of reference and
contributes to academic work that seeks to unravel the pre-Donovan roots of British
industrial relations (see Lyddon, 2003,p.90–101; Lyddon and Cao, 2024). Such an approach
does not represent an exercise in “current academic theory [being] projected back into the
past”(Hobsbawm, 1998, p. 87). Rather, it is an attempt to “bring different perspectives and a
freshness to the subject”(Lyddon, 2003, p. 111). The unitary and pluralist frames of reference
have been a central part of understanding industrial relations since the mid-1960s
(Fox, 1966a,b), with a radical critique of pluralism being added later (Fox, 1973), and Fox’s
outline of the frames is frequently listed as being central to the development of the field of
industrial relations in the UK (Kaufman, 2014). Almost 60 years after the publication of Fox’s
research paper for the Donovan Commission, these ideas continue to occupy a prominent
position in industrial relations and HRM research (see, for example, Barry and Wilkinson,
2021;Budd et al., 2004;Budd and Bhave, 2008;Dobbins et al., 2021;Edwards, 1986;Heery,
2016,2024;Nyfoudi et al., 2024) and textbooks (Burchill, 2014;Clegg, 1972;Dundon et al., 2017;
Gold and Smith, 2023;Jackson, 1977;Williams, 2020).
Whilst Fox (1963,1966a,b,2004) did acknowledge that he drew on the work of University
of Birmingham academic Norman Ross when developing the unitary and pluralist frames, the
frames of reference are now routinely (and almost always, solely) attributed to Alan Fox
(Heery, 2016,2024;Edwards, 2003;Dundon et al., 2017) due to Fox’s greater elaboration of the
ideas (Fox, 1966a,b,1973,1974a,b,1979). This article examines the roots of the unitary and
Employee
Relations: The
International
Journal
1233
The author would like to thank Tony Dobbins and Michael Gold for their helpful comments on a
previous version of this paper. The author also wishes to thank the staff at the Cadbury Research
Library and the Research Reserve at the Main Library of the University of Birmingham for their
assistance in accessing some of the materials used in this paper.
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at:
https://www.emerald.com/insight/0142-5455.htm
Received 28 March 2024
Revised 17 May 2024
Accepted 24 May 2024
Employee Relations: The
International Journal
Vol. 46 No. 6, 2024
pp. 1233-1245
© Emerald Publishing Limited
0142-5455
DOI 10.1108/ER-03-2024-0188
Get this document and AI-powered insights with a free trial of vLex and Vincent AI
Get Started for FreeStart Your Free Trial of vLex and Vincent AI, Your Precision-Engineered Legal Assistant
-
Access comprehensive legal content with no limitations across vLex's unparalleled global legal database
-
Build stronger arguments with verified citations and CERT citator that tracks case history and precedential strength
-
Transform your legal research from hours to minutes with Vincent AI's intelligent search and analysis capabilities
-
Elevate your practice by focusing your expertise where it matters most while Vincent handles the heavy lifting
Start Your Free Trial of vLex and Vincent AI, Your Precision-Engineered Legal Assistant
-
Access comprehensive legal content with no limitations across vLex's unparalleled global legal database
-
Build stronger arguments with verified citations and CERT citator that tracks case history and precedential strength
-
Transform your legal research from hours to minutes with Vincent AI's intelligent search and analysis capabilities
-
Elevate your practice by focusing your expertise where it matters most while Vincent handles the heavy lifting
Start Your Free Trial of vLex and Vincent AI, Your Precision-Engineered Legal Assistant
-
Access comprehensive legal content with no limitations across vLex's unparalleled global legal database
-
Build stronger arguments with verified citations and CERT citator that tracks case history and precedential strength
-
Transform your legal research from hours to minutes with Vincent AI's intelligent search and analysis capabilities
-
Elevate your practice by focusing your expertise where it matters most while Vincent handles the heavy lifting
Start Your Free Trial of vLex and Vincent AI, Your Precision-Engineered Legal Assistant
-
Access comprehensive legal content with no limitations across vLex's unparalleled global legal database
-
Build stronger arguments with verified citations and CERT citator that tracks case history and precedential strength
-
Transform your legal research from hours to minutes with Vincent AI's intelligent search and analysis capabilities
-
Elevate your practice by focusing your expertise where it matters most while Vincent handles the heavy lifting
Start Your Free Trial of vLex and Vincent AI, Your Precision-Engineered Legal Assistant
-
Access comprehensive legal content with no limitations across vLex's unparalleled global legal database
-
Build stronger arguments with verified citations and CERT citator that tracks case history and precedential strength
-
Transform your legal research from hours to minutes with Vincent AI's intelligent search and analysis capabilities
-
Elevate your practice by focusing your expertise where it matters most while Vincent handles the heavy lifting
