Assessing Employee Relations and Organizational Performance: A Literature Review

The success of any organization is hinged on the abilities and competence of the employees. How well employers create a positive work environment which satisfies the emotional needs of the employees will influence to a great extent the level of organizational productivity. In respect to this, the paper seeks to explore the relationship between effective employee relations and organizational performance. The study makes use of secondary data from journals and other relevant literature. The findings revealed that the disregard of the psychological needs of the employees, which is the desire to be respected, valued and recognized in the organization, will create employees ill-treatment and further demotivation. The paper recommends that managers should properly connect with their employees and create an enabling environment where employees will feel at home discharging their duties. Furthermore the employers should create an effective system of communication that encourages understanding and learning in the organization.


Introduction
Employees are regarded as the most valuable element in an organization. They contribute immensely to the growth and development of any organization. Hagos and Zewdie (2018) suggest that the progress of any organization is hinged on the input made by the employees. Basically, employees are instrumental in the utilization of other resources such as technology, finance, information and other managerial tools in the achievement of organizational goals and objectives. Employees do not carry out these functions in a vacuum: they need to interact and synergize with others to get their jobs done, so there is a growing concern for managers in organizations to create a positive work environment. However, having a pleasant work relationship amongst employees makes it easier for employers to mobilize their energies with their employees to achieve results (Galer et al., 2005). According to Buckingham and Coffman (2000) a survey carried out on 2,500 organizational departments in 24 organizations has revealed that the existence of an effective

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Vol. 01 / Issue 01, pp. 1-17, December 2020 ISSN: 2700-8983 | an Open Access Journal by Wohllebe & Ross Publishing This paper is available online at www.ijarbm.org employee relations is depended on the managers' leading and managerial practices.
Employee relations as described by BambooHR (n.d.) is an organization's concerted efforts to maintain a conducive working environment for a positive relationship with its employees. In addition for the organizations to be able to maintain positive employee relations, they must first see their employees as partners and contributors in the organization. This aspect encourages the employers to create a platform for an open door system where employee's views are welcomed and valued. The Management Study Guide (n.d.) posit that employee relations deals with the avoidance and resolution of negative issues that may arise among employees in the course of the discharge of their official duties. Employee relations are encompassing. It involves creating a work environment that strives to satisfy both the needs of the employers and the employees, improving better communication, providing a system for grievance procedure, and having an organizational culture based on the values of trust, mutual respect and dialogue in the organization.
According to Stallard (2009) studies have shown that employees in an organization with a strong positive employee relations are more engaged, efficient in the performance of their duties, and less likely to leave the organization for another. In addition, an organization with healthy employee relations creates a bond that promotes trust, cooperation and esprit de corps between the employers and the employees. This tendency as asserted has the potential in enhancing the skills and the abilities of the employees in the achievement of the organizational goals and objectives. Most importantly, employee relations ensure that the relationship between the employers and the employees are managed appropriately within a stipulated policy framework. It is therefore against this background that this paper tends to examine employee relations and organizational performance by reviewing the extant literature. The paper is organized as follows: Apart from section one which is the introduction, section two reviews some relevant literatures on the subject matter. The third section considers theoretical framework and the final session is the conclusion and recommendation.

Research Method
The research relied majorly on studies and articles pertaining to employee's relations and organizational performance in organizations. Key wordsas indicated in the abstract section of this study and related ones, which help to validate the relationship between employee relations and organizational performance, were used as search terms of relevant database within Research Gate, Google Scholar etc. In addition, a wide range of related library books and conference proceedings were consulted. This enabled the identification of further themes that facilitated findings to formulate and guide opinion on the influence of employee relations on performance.

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Vol. 01 / Issue 01, pp. 1-17, December 2020 ISSN: 2700-8983 | an Open Access Journal by Wohllebe & Ross Publishing This paper is available online at www.ijarbm.org

3
Review of Literature

Human Relations Approach
The concept of employee relations is dynamic and evolving in the modern day organizations. The emphasis on employees and their relations by managers in organizations could be traced to the human relations approach in management. The human relations approach can be attributed to the research studies of Mayo (1880Mayo ( -1949 who has been considered as one of the pioneers of the human relations school of thought. According to Tonwe (2009b), Mayo started the first intensive human relations study known as the Hawthorne Experiments conducted at the Hawthorne Plant of the Western Electric Company between 1924 and 1932. This experiment was also regarded as the clinical approach to employee behavior in the organization. It attempts to focus attention on the behavior of the employees and their production capacity keeping in view their psychological, physical, economic and physiological aspect. Crainer (1998, p. 111) opine that the Hawthorne studies were important because they showed that the behavior and attitudes of managers were a vital aspect of motivation and improved performance of employees in the organization.
According to Akrani (2011) the human relations approach viewed organization as a social system of interpersonal and inter group relationships, which shows that having a work environment that stimulates healthy and sustainable relationships amongst employees plays a vital role in enhancing efficiency and effectiveness of the organization. The human relations approach arose as a reaction to Taylor's Scientific Management approach which suggested the development of standard methods for performing tasks. Emphasis was only placed on the work element at the expense of the human beings who are merely seen as machines without emotions and psychological need. The human relations approach as propounded by Elton Mayo (1880Mayo ( -1949 demonstrated that employees go to work to satisfy a complexity of needs and not for monetary reward only. To buttress the human relations school of thought, Hallowell [10] assert that scientific research conducted by neuroscientists have discovered that approaching management by placing emphasis on the human element in an organization produces a high level of connection that brings about productivity in the organization. The Neuroscientists discovery shows that positive human relation has a physiological effect on the employees, this reduces the blood levels of the stress hormones epinephrine, norepinephrine, and cortisol and in addition it increases the neuro-transmitter dopamine, which enhances attention and pleasure, and serotonin, which eases fear and worry. According to Hallowell (1999) further discovery also shows that positive employee relations increase the level of oxytocin and vasopressin that brings about mutual trust and bonding among individuals in organizations.
The human relations approach in effect sees the organization as informal, which at all times is available within the formal structure. This informal organization plays a critical role in influencing the motivation of employees,

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Vol. 01 / Issue 01, pp. 1-17, December 2020 ISSN: 2700-8983 | an Open Access Journal by Wohllebe & Ross Publishing This paper is available online at www.ijarbm.org who will view the organization for which they work through the values and attitudes of their boss and colleagues.

Concept of Employee Relations
The concept of employee relations has attracted scholarly definitions since its inception in the 20th century as replacement to the industrial relations. Employee relations are concerned with creating an enabling work environment for a pleasant interpersonal relationship in the organization which gears towards the effective promotion of the organization goals and objectives. Donohoe (2015) defines employee relations as the study of the relationship that exist between employees and the employers. Basically, effective employee relations places high premium on the human element in the organization, which results in higher employee engagement, motivation and improved productivity. Considering the strategic role of employee relations in organizations Yongcai (2010) posit that employee relations is a specialized discipline in human resource development and management. Jing (2013) further buttress that employee relations is the organization's concerted effort in adopting several mechanisms to regulate relationship amongst employees towards the achievement of the organization goals.
Pareek and Rai (2012) maintained that effective employee relations management in an organization enhances confidence, trust and loyalty amongst employees. To buttress the assertion it is noted that trust and loyalty are earned by an employer through open communication, regular feedback system and the delegation of duties to the staff (Janssens et al., 2003). The inability of an employer to build trust and respect in their employees will eventually affect the relationship negatively. According to Nikoloski et al. (2014) employer-employee relations is concerned with the provision of information to employees with regards to the objectives of the organization so that they have a clear understanding of the direction of management. Effective employee relations focuses also on creating an open door system in the organization where employees can freely express their grievances, initiate ideas, suggestions without fear of intimidation and suppression. Ultimately, the sense of belonging and a high self-esteem is built in the employees. According to Janssen et al. (2003) research has shown that every employee has innate desire to be treated with respect, dignity and with fairness. Bhattacharya et al. (2008) posit that the expectation of employers to effectively manage employee relations is to enhance employee morale and productivity.

4
Components of Employee Relations

Emotional Intelligence
It is worthy to note that emotional intelligence plays a very important role in enhancing effective employee relations in an organization. Emotional Intelligence (EI) has begun to gain prominence in the workplace due to its

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Vol. 01 / Issue 01, pp. 1-17, December 2020 ISSN: 2700-8983 | an Open Access Journal by Wohllebe & Ross Publishing This paper is available online at www.ijarbm.org importance in determining the effectiveness of a manager when dealing with employees in the organizations. According to Hassan et al. (2014) to be emotionally and socially intelligent is to effectively understand, having positive relations with others, and to successfully cope with daily demands, challenges and pressures. Fuge (2014) pointed out that in a workplace, there are constant interactions which are occurring among the people who work there, both positive and negative, that will impact the overall operations of the organization. Skills that managers and employees need to thrive in this environment include clearly communicating with each other and discussing topics openly, listening to the issues that are expressed by other parties, being able to effectively manage conflicts, and inspiring each other to operate at a higher level. Possessing emotional intelligence (EI) and engaging in intentional efforts to raise one's emotional quotient will make the employee more efficient, productive and successful in the workplace.
Fuge (2014) went further to define emotional intelligence (EI) as the way employees can manage and control their emotions to better themselves in the workplace. This connotes that the ability of employees to understand their emotions and others will enhance stress management and enables the employers and employees to handle their relations in a personal, yet professional manner.
According to Mayer et al. (2000, pp. 396-420) emotional intelligence is the ability to perceive and express emotion, assimilate emotion in thought, and regulate emotion in the self and others. Employee in an organization is able to exhibit emotional intelligence when he perceives accurately the emotional reactions of others possibly in a state of conflict and he understands the danger that those reactions posed for him. He then becomes able to regulate his own emotions, and by expressing those emotions effectively, he is able to regulate the emotions of others. Cherniss (2001) posit that emotional intelligence is very important for more typical jobs and work situation that people encounter. Emotions are contagious and a single person can influence the emotional tone of a group by emotional modelling.The emotional intelligence of a boss as attributed by Cherniss (2001) will influence the potential of a relationship with his employees that will result in the development and the use of the employee's talent that is crucial for organizational effectiveness.
In the light of the above, McPheat (2018, p. 9) posit that emotional intelligence involves a combination of competencies which allow a person to be aware of, to understand, and to be in control of their own emotions, to recognize and understand the emotions of others, and to use this knowledge to foster their success and the success of others. He assert that those who have high levels of emotional intelligence are able to understand the physical, mental and social impact that negative emotions have on their bodies, minds, relationship and ability to pursue and achieve goals. They then are able to moderate their own emotions so that their emotions support their activities and enhance their quality of life. People with highly developed emotional intelligence are proven to be more successful in the workplace because they can understand their emotions and behave that way.

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Self-Awareness
Harnessing one's emotional intelligence in a workplace would not be enhanced without the recognition and acknowledgement of one's emotional state. Feldman and Mulle (2007, pp. 13-24) described it as self-awareness. This is the foundational skill of emotional intelligence. It is the base from which all other Emotional Intelligence competence arises. Self-awareness as defined by Feldman is turning in to what is going on with one emotionally: identifying and accepting ones emotional state. Without awareness of ones emotions, individuals cannot begin to harness their power toward their hope for outcome in any situation. In addition, it was buttressed that without an awareness of ones emotions, the individual Emotional Intelligence (EI) is non-existent.
The ability of an individual to be competent in emotional self-awareness will enhance the level of social awareness. According to Fuge (2014) social awareness is the ability to understand the emotions, needs and concerns of other people, pick up on emotional cues: feel comfortable socially: and recognize the power dynamics in a group or organization.
McPheat (2018) views social awareness as the ability to perceive and understand the social relationships and structures in which an individual and those around are operating. It involves being able to understand how other people are feeling-and validating those feelings. It requires being able to recognize relationship and structures within the organization or one's social networks. He reiterated that social awareness means understanding that individual happiness is dependent upon assisting others to achieve their own happiness as well.

Empathy
One major skill that is imperative in the social awareness competence is the ability of a boss to show empathy. Empathy plays a crucial role in enhancing human relations in an organization. According to Odugbesan-Omede (2018) the very act of leadership requires a boss to have the ability to feel and understand where others are coming from. A boss ability to lead the people effectively is built on emotions and to ignore or disrespect the very essence of what makes one a human is one of the biggest stumbling blocks to effective managerial skill. Feldman and Mulle (2007, pp. 13-24) while eulogizing the importance of empathy in an organization, described empathy as simply taking an active interest in other people's concern. Empathy is more than just an art. It is an attitude. It is a way of being. According to him, to be active requires conscious effortful behavior. Interest requires heartfelt respect for what another person has to offer. To engage ourselves in the active pursuit of understanding another human being, one need to be convinced completely in his heart that all people have equal dignity and worth and therefore deserves the respect of being listened to.
According to McPheat (2018, p. 46) showing empathy can sometimes be one of the most difficult EI competencies to experience, particularly if one is in a heated debate or argument with the other person. But showing

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Vol. 01 / Issue 01, pp. 1-17, December 2020 ISSN: 2700-8983 | an Open Access Journal by Wohllebe & Ross Publishing This paper is available online at www.ijarbm.org empathy is a core EI social awareness skill because it allows an individual to get in the place of another person and see the argument or situation from their side. When they do, they gain understanding of why a person feels or behave the way they do and what is motivating that feeling or behavior.
According to Odugbesan-Omede (2018), studies have shown that recognition of employees' emotions by managers has a link with building effective relationships that in return enhances productivity of employees. Since the emotions of the individual employee is being given high credence, it is important for organizations to take considerations of the attitudes and sentiments of the worker and of instilling in them a sense of belonging as a contributing member of the organization.

Trust
Trust has been regarded as the heart of positive employee relations and engagement. According to Sanders (2020) "trust is one of the most precious commodities a community or an organization can have" She went on to say "it lubricates relationships and the exchange of knowledge and is crucial to cooperation. Trust…. Brings us together and helps us work together". To further support the importance of trust in an organization, Asamani (2015) asserts that trust plays an integral role in ensuring effective employeeemployer relationship. Invariably, the lack of trust in an organization will produce negative impact on employee' attitude and behavior.
There is evidence to suggest that an organization will experience a lower level of trust when an environment where employees would elicit their feelings, opinions and views is not provided. Reece and Reece (2017, p. 19) revealed that when employees communicate less information to their managers, express opinions reluctantly, and avoid discussions, there will be less cooperation. However, when a climate of trust is present, frank discussions and information are more likely to take place in the organization. It is in this light, that low levels of trust in a workforce can lead to poor employee relations,leading to low productivity, stifled innovation, high stress, and slow decision making and a decline in the flow of information almost always results.
The concept of trust in organization has become prominent in academic discourse. This is supported by Paliszkiewiecz (2011) when he emphasized that trust and trust relationships have been a subject of research in disciplines such as philosophy, sociology, psychology, management, marketing, ergonomics, human-computer interaction, industrial psychology and electronic commerce. Several definitions of trust has emanated over time, which has treated trust to be a state, belief or positive expectation. Sztompka (1999) defines trust as "the expectation that other people or groups or institutions with whom we get into contact-interact, cooperate-will act in ways conducive to our well-being". Das and Teng (1998) view trust as "the degree to which trust holds a positive attitude towards the trustee's goodwill and reliability in a risky exchange situation". Robinson (1996) portray trust also as "one's expectations, assumptions, or beliefs about the likelihood that an-

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Vol. 01 / Issue 01, pp. 1-17, December 2020 ISSN: 2700-8983 | an Open Access Journal by Wohllebe & Ross Publishing This paper is available online at www.ijarbm.org other's future actions will be beneficial, favorable, or at least not detrimental to one's interest.
Recent studies conducted by Helena and Ann (2018) on one hundred and seventy-five employees of telecommunication companies in Poland revealed that interpersonal trust among employees had a link with competence and effective relations, the researchers found out that providing a conducive environment for bonding and harmonious relations among employee and employers in organization help to improve interpersonal trust. It was found out that for managers to earn the trust of their employees, they need to build their credibility through maintaining sustainable relationships. The research conducted above has shown that concerted efforts are required by organization to develop interpersonal trust. Interpersonal trust building as pointed out by Six (2007) is an interactive process in which individuals learn or unlearn to establish and maintain trustworthiness under given organization (contextual & structural) settings, and subject themselves to policies directly or indirectly, positively or negatively sanctioning the building of interpersonal trust. Stable intentions for behaviors can be stimulated by durable policies, structures and contextual settings. For Hakanen (2017, p. 28) molding and creating trust contain several processes, this includes creation, building and re-building.
Trust building in an organization has been described to be hinged on time and positive interaction. According to Hakanen (2017, p. 28) trust building takes place through social interaction. Hakanem and Soudunsaari (2012) noted that personal knowledge of employees, showing genuine interest in their wellbeing and practicing the act of listening are pivotal in trust building.

Conflict Resolution
Research conducted by scholars on management have revealed that there is a relationship between organizational trust and conflict. This connection has been described as consequential. Negative behaviors manifested by managers towards employees can breed low trust, which may result in organizational conflict. According to Thompson (2015, p. 4) conflict is inevitable among humans when two or more social entities (i.e. individuals, groups, organizations, and nations) come in contact with one another in attaining their objectives, their relationships may become incompatible or inconsistent. Relationship among such entities may become inconsistent when two or more of them desire a similar resource that is in short supply: when they have partially exclusive behavioral preferences regarding their joint action; or when they have different attitudes, values, beliefs and skills.
Conflict as defined by Barki and Hartwick (2004) "is a dynamic process that occurs between interdependent parties as they experience negative emotional reactions to perceived disagreements and interference with the attainment of goals". The impact of conflict in an organization can be colossal if not handled properly. According to Boateng (2014) studies have shown that not all conflicts are harmful. It sometimes yields positive results such as new ideas, stimulating creativity, bringing about innovation and strengthened relationship on the long run.

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Vol. 01 / Issue 01, pp. 1-17, December 2020 ISSN: 2700-8983 | an Open Access Journal by Wohllebe & Ross Publishing This paper is available online at www.ijarbm.org Scholars have reiterated that organizations are not devoid of conflicts, because organizations are made up of people with divergent views and interest. According to Rahim (2011, p. 9) conflict is certainly one of the major organizational phenomena. Pondy (1967, pp. 296-320) observed that organization theories that do not admit conflict provide poor guidance in dealing with problems of organizational efficiency, stability, governance and change, for conflict within and between organizations is intimately related as either symptoms, cause, or effect to each of these problems. Baron (1991) asserts that organizational conflict is an important topic for managers and for scientists interested in understanding the nature of organizational behavior and organizational process.
In every organization the ability to resolve conflict is of immense importance, this is because the survival of any business is hinged on the individual cooperative effort, hence the need for conflict resolution. According to Boulle and Nesic (2009, p. 24) conflict resolution can be regarded as any process that resolves or ends conflict via methods which can include violence or warfare. Alternately, it can be viewed as a non-violent process that manages conflict through compromise, or through the assistance of a third party who either facilitates or imposes a settlement or resolution. Conflict resolution processes are many and varied and can be seen as a continuum ranging from collaborative, participatory, informal process (such as mediation, conciliation, third party negotiation) to adversarial, fact-oriented legal building and imposed decisions that arise from institutions such as the courts and tribunals. Miller and King (2005, p. 5) posits that conflict resolution is a variety of approaches aimed at terminating conflicts through the constructive solving of problems, distinct from management or transformation of conflict. For Ramsbotham et al. (2005), by conflict resolution, it is expected that the deep rooted sources of conflict are addressed and resolved, and behavior is no longer violent, nor are attitude hostile any longer, while structure of the conflict has been changed.
According to Mitchell and Banks (1996, p. 34) conflict resolution refers to an outcome in which the issues in an existing conflict are satisfactorily dealt with through a solution that is mutually acceptable to the parties, selfsustaining in the long run and productive of a new, positive relationship between parties that were previously hostile adversaries; and process or procedure by which such outcome is achieved.

Relationship between Employee Relations and Organizational Performance
Studies have shown that there is a relationship between positive employee relations and employee engagement in enhancing organizational performance. Organizational performance is positively related to the effective relations that exist between the managers and the employees (Crim & Seijts, 2006). As a result of that he stressed the need for managers to properly connect with their employees. Osborne and Hammoud (2017) succinctly

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Vol. 01 / Issue 01, pp. 1-17, December 2020 ISSN: 2700-8983 | an Open Access Journal by Wohllebe & Ross Publishing This paper is available online at www.ijarbm.org added that a lower employee engagement in an organization can be as a result of the negative work environment. They noted that such situations brings about low productivity.
In every human being, there is that innate desire to be respected, valued, recognized for abilities and competence, and also to have freedom or control over the discharge of work. The inability of an organization to recognize these make up of human nature, will create a situation where managers will treat their employees in a disdain manner. This action therefore culminates in the employees becoming demotivated. Motivation is a total package; it is not just about the monetary reward. It extends to meeting the psychological needs of the employees. In fact motivation has been regarded as a major component of employee relations in organizations. Reece (2017) opine that motivation provides a framework for understanding why people do the things they do. Although the number of possible motives for human behavior seems endless, they are individualistic and dynamic and can change over the years. In many cases, people are not aware of the factor that motivates their behaviors. Maslow (1943) stressed the importance of organizations recognizing the need for employees to be valued and respected. In his publication titled "A Theory of Human Motivation", he buttressed as follows: "All people in our society (with a few pathological exceptions) have a need or desire for a stable, firmly based, (usually) high evaluation of themselves, for self-respect, or self-esteem, and for the esteem of others. By firmly based self-esteem, we meant that which is soundly based on real capacity, achievement and respect of others. These are, first, the desire for strength, for achievement, for adequacy, for confidence in the face of the world, and for independence and freedom. Secondly, we have what we may call the desire for reputation or prestige (defining it as respect or esteem from other people), recognition, attention, importance or appreciation . . . More and more today . . there is appearing widespread appreciation . . . More and more today . . . there is appearing widespread of their central importance" Drawing from the above quotation, it is worthy to note that when managers and bosses show respect to their employees, and values them, it culminates into effective employee relations amongst them. This act motivates the employees to put in their best. Maslow pointed out also that when employees are continuously disregarded and look down upon, it causes them to feel inadequate and inferior. This will inadvertently lead to feeling of dissatisfaction and possible disengagement from the organization.
An employee perceived to be disengaged in an organization, may not ordinarily mean that he has left the organization. Vazirani (2007) has shown that there are employees who are in organizations and yet disengaged. He described this set of employees as individuals who do not perform their duties efficiently and also do not meet deadline in carrying out their assignments. Due to the fact that they are not motivated and not happy at work, they lack the energy and the enthusiasm to contribute much to the goals and objectives of the organization. This action is as a result of lack of effective employee relations with their managers.

IJARBM -International Journal of Applied Research in Business and Management
Vol. 01 / Issue 01, pp. 1-17, December 2020 ISSN: 2700-8983 | an Open Access Journal by Wohllebe & Ross Publishing This paper is available online at www.ijarbm.org The positive human relations between the employers and the employees have been regarded as pivotal in enhancing the organizational performance in an organization. According to Shaheen et al. (2017) human relations places attention on what level employees are engaged with their work. This is achievable through the level of understanding and support that the manager provides to the employee. They posit that research conducted has proven that when employees feel at home in performing their duties it creates a positive psychological attitude towards the organization, which is inevitable in fostering employee engagement level. In this vein, organization must strive to build and nurture employee engagement. This is a two-way process through which employees are highly engaged in work and management are sensitive to the needs of their employees and making concerted efforts in meeting their needs.

6
Theoretical Framework

Mary Parker Follet Theory
Mary Parker Follet theory on organization also focused on the dynamic and relational aspect of an organization. She believed that the fundamental problem in an organization was in developing and maintaining dynamic and harmonious relationship. In contrast she recommends an organizational life where individual participation is encouraged and fostered so that individuals can realize their potentials (Tekel, 2014).
Follet in her theory of the dynamism of organization, views organization as a union of dynamic social relationship emerging through the reciprocal responses of individuals. She sees man as a social being and accepts that man's identity and method of perceiving the world around him are shaped through the interaction with others.
Thus, the relational organization pattern is a reflection of interactive paradigm. She argues that the reciprocal relation status, that is participants with different functions saw what related to them by interacting with the whole, developed a more integral approach towards their specific tasks, thus ensuring development as a whole with others. The interaction between these sections and the whole, results in a higher level of organizational performance through interpersonal exchange. For Follet, in contrast to Weber, the relational pattern is usually the most direct path to efficacy and efficiency, different from the rational paradigm, Follets idea on interaction does not place emphasis only on the rational bureaucratic model where the parties are separated from one another and which is free from social norm and values, instead her main focus is integration and relationship existing between individuals in the organization (Tekel, 2014).
The theory of participation as articulated by Follet places high premium on individual's contribution to the growth of an organization. For Follet, participation is each individual's inclusion in a unit comprised of interrelated activities in line with the capacity of each individual. For an effective participation in organizations, employee contribution should be coordinated to create a

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Vol. 01 / Issue 01, pp. 1-17, December 2020 ISSN: 2700-8983 | an Open Access Journal by Wohllebe & Ross Publishing This paper is available online at www.ijarbm.org functioning whole. This can be achieved by coordination, a barrier-free communication and communication based on clarity, openness and understanding (Tekel, 2014).
However, Follet strongly criticized the basic concept of scientific management; she contend that under the scientific management only the ideas of managers are prominent in the management of the organization. It does not consider what the workers are capable of contributing.
Follet believed that the workers have something to contribute to how an organization is managed and that it will be worthwhile to allow workers make their contribution to enable both managers and workers make their contribution, she suggested that, the following three courses must be constantly and deliberately followed by managers:  Setting up an organization which provides two clear way channels of communication and consultation.  Instituting management practices which recognize and act on the principle of participation by not only constantly allowing for, but also expecting and using the ideas contributed by the workers.  Putting in place a mechanism for setting difference and for dealing with the diverse contribution of men who are very different in temperament, training and attitude.

Rensis Likert Theory
Rensis Likert theory transcend the narrow disciplinary boundaries to provide workable solutions to organizational problems. His contribution stands apart as a balanced approach to the study of organizations which could look into the overlapping domains of behavior and mechanical-scientific principles. His leanings have been in favour of human behavior as a creator of organization which helped him to reinvent participatory management and democratize organization in the period following the Great Depression and during the Second World War (Kish, 1982).
One of the key focus of Likert's study that have contributed to the human relations movement was on leadership and its behavior on employee's performance. The research that he conducted at the University of Michigan, USA was to determine what pattern of leadership behavior results in effective group performance. From interviews conducted with supervisors and subordinates, two distinct leadership styles were identified as job-centered and employee-centered supervision.
According to him, the job-centered leaders are those whose style of leadership focuses on the work to be done and less on the individuals Okaka (2009). The employees here are seen as a means to an end. This is similar to the Taylors' scientific management theory. Here, Taylor as pointed out by Tonwe (2009a) believed that the best management is a true science, applicable to all human activities. Taylor's focus was on the progressive development of the worker, so that they can do the job to the fullest realization of their natural capacities, while neglecting the psychological and sociological variables of organizational behavior. Likert posit that in this style, leaders

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Vol. 01 / Issue 01, pp. 1-17, December 2020 ISSN: 2700-8983 | an Open Access Journal by Wohllebe & Ross Publishing This paper is available online at www.ijarbm.org hold the position that the closer the supervision exercised on subordinates the higher the performance.
The employee-centered supervisors as developed by Likert are those who strive to develop a cohesive work group by ensuring the employees are basically satisfied with their job. They focus on the wellbeing of their subordinates and endeavor to build an effective work group with high performance levels (Okaka, 2009). This style of leadership in comparison with the jobcentered style enhances relationship, interaction and mutual understanding between the worker and the employer.
Likert concluded that both structures were important as job centered leaders were admired by supervisors while the employee -centered leaders are liked by the workers. He suggested that an employee centered orientation coupled with general supervision would improve productivity in an organization (Likert, 1967).
It is important to note that Likert research was on managing the human component in organization as it involves the employer's sensitivity towards the behavioral and attitudinal demands of their employee. He demonstrated that improved empirical investigation into human nature within an organization can improve productivity as well as workers loyalty to the organization.

Conclusion and Recommendations
Based on the study, it can be concluded that creating a positive work relationship that is based on respect, value and recognition for employee's abilities and competence, play a critical role in promoting job satisfaction which subsequently reflects in their intention to remain devoted in the organization. This confirms the research studies of Follet who established a linkage between organizational performance and harmonious relationship. The kind of leadership style adopted by the employers can either have a positive or negative influence on the work climate in the organization. It was also deduced that motivating employees extends beyond providing monetary rewards, it also involves paying attention on the psychological and sociological variable of organizational behavior. The inability of managers to recognize these emotional components of the employees will result in treating them in a disdainful manner. This study support the findings of Likert approach to leadership style that managers should sustained the need for an employeecentered leadership with general supervision for an improved performance in an organization. It is on this light that recommendation has been proffered to improve on employee relations in organizations.
Managers are to develop new concept of authority, motivation and leadership. Most importantly, developing competence in emotional intelligence will afford them the opportunity to understand and manage human behavior appropriately in the workplace. Managers should ensure that they properly connect with their employees and create an enabling environment where employees will feel at home discharging their duties.
In order to enhance human connection in the organization, it is imperative that employers create an effective system of communication that encourages understanding and learning. A bottom-up approach to decision making

IJARBM -International Journal of Applied Research in Business and Management
Vol. 01 / Issue 01, pp. 1-17, December 2020 ISSN: 2700-8983 | an Open Access Journal by Wohllebe & Ross Publishing This paper is available online at www.ijarbm.org will afford the rank and file in the organization to make suggestions and contributions to the growth and development of the organization without fear of harassment.
Employers should create a culture of trust, cooperation and sense of belonging in the organization. Trust underscores everything that employers do with their employees with regard to their job functions. When employers build and maintain trust based on integrity, character and ability, it stimulates high level of commitment in the employees.
Finally, further research need to be carried out on models. A particular focus could be a comparative study of the Marker Parker Follet Theory and the Rensis Likert Theory with respect to the performance of business organizations.