Industrial-Organizational Psychology Learning Module

Organizational Justice Perceptions

Think of a time you’ve been unfairly treated at work Were you ever treated rudely or

disrespectfully? Were you up for a promotion / raise / job,

and didn’t get it when you thought you should have?

Why was it unfair? How did you know? How did you react? Did you take action?

Why or why not?

Lesson Objectives At the end of this lesson, you should be

able to: State why managing perceptions of justice

is important to organizations Distinguish between three different

elements of justice perceptions List factors that influence perceptions of

justice

Justice Perceptions are important Justice Perceptions: employee judgments

about whether their work situation is fair Justice Perceptions in organizations have

been found to be related to: Job Satisfaction Organizational Commitment Job Performance Withdrawal Behaviors Counterproductive behaviors Self-perceptions

Types of Justice Perceptions Distributive Justice: perceptions of the

fairness of a particular outcome Procedural Justice: perceptions of

whether the process used to make the decision was fair

Interactional Justice: perceptions of whether organizational agents implement procedures fairly, by treating people respectfully and explaining decisions adequately

Distributive Justice Rules for allocating resources

Equity – resources are distributed to employees with respect to their abilities or contributions

Equality – resources are distributed so each person gets the same outcome, regardless of their contributions

Need – resources are distributed to the person who needs them more

Distributive Justice: Equity Theory Employees compute a ratio of how much

they contribute to the organization and how much they get back from the company

Employees choose a coworker and computes their ratio

Employees then compare ratios, and react on the basis of this comparison. Unbalanced ratios create ‘equity distress,’ which lead to a variety of responses including changes in work effort or quality

Procedural Justice What are some things that lead to a

procedure being seen as fair? ‘Voice’ – getting a say in things Consistency Bias Suppression Accuracy Correctability Ethicality

When is Procedural Justice Most Important?

Outcome Favorability

Rea

ctio

ns to

Org

.High Procedural Justice

Low Procedural Justice

Low High

Favorable

Unfavorable

Interactional Justice Interpersonal component – treating

people with dignity and respect; refraining from improper remarks or comments

Informational component – providing adequate explanations for decisions

Research Example (Greenberg, 1990) Two plants in the same company

announced 15% pay cuts for their workers One plant given extensive explanations &

remorse was shown in the announcement Second plant given a short explanation, but

without remorse or apology Measured ‘missing’ inventory theft Theft increased in both plants, but more so

in the second plant (inadequate explanation)

Improving Fairness Perceptions Change how fair the situation actually is

Improve distributive justice Improve procedural justice Treat employees with sincerity and respect

Change how fair the situation is perceived How do you explain decisions and

procedures to employees so they understand?

Summary Employee perceptions of justice can impact

important organizational outcomes, as well as employee feelings and attitudes

Types of justice include Distributive, Procedural, and Interactional

Justice perceptions can be altered by actually changing the justice of a situation, or by providing adequate explanations for organizational events