1.g. Organizational Justice Flashcards
Organizational Justice
Perceptions of fairness regarding people in the workplace and the system of the workplace
- e.g. managers, colleagues, recruitment systems etc.
Perceptions of a fair work environment lead to higher commitment, trust, performance & less turnover
Perceptions of injustice lead to lower attendance & an increased likelihood to abuse company resources
2 Dimensions of Justice in the Workplace (first)
- Unit of analysis
- Nature of the variable (of interest)
- Unit of analysis
3 roles are defined
Recipient, observer, actor
Recipient
individuals who face the consequences of decisions made by others, usually employees
Observer
individuals who witness interactions between the recipient and decision maker e.g. colleagues, clients, customers. They are influenced by this interaction & perception of how employees are treated
Actor
newer area of OJ involving motives of decision makers to treat others fairly
Nature of the variable (of interest)
Studying how OJ relates to work attitudes & behaviour (e.g. job satisfaction) –> studied as independent variables
Studying if and why perceptions of justice vary across contexts & people –> dependent variable
- Dimensions of Justice (second)
- Distributive justice
- Procedural justice
- Interactional justice
Distributive justice
1950s-1970s
Fairness is studied from an outcome e.g. salary, promotions
Considered fair when outcome conforms to norm of allocation
Norms of allocation
Equity norms
need norms
equality norms
Equity norms
Outcomes allocated based on merit i.e. higher performance, higher pay
Dominant norm
need norm
outcomes allocated based on need i.e. those with more needs receive more benefits
Equality norm
outcomes are allocated equally
- Procedural justice
Fairness of the process leads to decision outcomes
Developed from courtrooms - fairness of the court proceedings is used to evaluate how fair the decision made was
Having a say or a voice makes it more likely for individuals to view the final decision as fair
Procedural justice - fair process effect
Individuals are more likely to react positively to an outcome if they feel the process that led them to it was fair
- Interactional justice
1980s
Outcome allocations (1st dimension) + proceedings (2nd) + treatment received from organizational representatives
4th dimension
Not always counted, but most modern psychologists use it
Developed from 3rd dimension
Interactional justice
Fairness of interpersonal treatment
Informational justice
Fairness of explanations & info provided involving/regarding decision-making
Overall justice
Counters idea of different dimensions
Argues that dimensions can't take into account all the different aspects considered by individuals when making a fairness judgement
Idea that individuals consider the holistic justice of the situation when making a judgement
Why does justice matter to people?
Instrumental reasons
Relational reasons
Deontic reasons
Instrumental reasons
Justice ensures predictable & favourable outcomes
Used to control their own outcomes
Relational reasons
Contributes to social identity by providing information about self-worth & social status
Fairness means you are valued and recognized within a group
Fulfills positive self-regard & sense of belonging
Deontic reasons
Justice is viewed as a virtue, fulfilling meaningfulness
Care about justice because you care about human worth & dignity
Believe that everyone should be treated fairly
Heuristics
cognitive shortcuts used to minimize cognitive resources
Justice & Heuristics
Judgements about fairness are formed very quickly –> overall justice judgements
Contrasts equity theory which involves complicated mental processes and comparisons
Overall justice judgements are then used to assess fairness of later situations
Assessing through multiple justice dimensions is not necessary
Can be re-evaluated as situation changes, new information is revealed, relationship to organization changes (new position, facing different circumstances) etc.
*Consequences of Justice Perceptions
