The Management of Organizational Justice

What is org justice?

members' sense of moral propriety in which they're treated

descriptive agenda: what people believe to be just (v what is just)

different than receiving favorable outcomes

control model: employees prefer justice b/c they can predict how they will be treated over time

people can accept an unfortunate outcome if they believe the process is fair (not always)

group value model: just treatment tells us that we're respected and esteemed by the larger group

sense of belonging is important beyond economic considerations

3 components of justice

1. Distributive Justice: appropriateness of outcomes

2. Procedural Justice: appropriateness of allocation processes

3. Interactional Justice: appropriateness of treatment one receives from authority figures

equity: rewarding employees based on contribution

equaltiy: providing employees with roughly same compensation

Need: providing resource/benefits based on personal requirements

Consistency: all employees are treated the same

lack of bias: no individual or group is singled out for ill-treatment

accuracy: decisions are made based on accurate information

representation of all concerned: appropriate stakeholders have input for decisions

correction: there is an appeals process or other mechanism for fixing mistakes

ethics: norms of professional conduct are not violated

interpersonal justice: treating an employee with dignity, courtesy and respect

informational justice: sharing relevant information with employees

Left side: our outcomes/inputs; right side: some comparison

appropriate for teams

necessary for institutional legitimacy

Impact of Org Justice

Builds trust and commitment

improves job performance

fosters employee org citizenship behaviors

behaviors that go beyond the call of duty

builds satisfaction and loyalty

How to create perceptions of justice

Positive Job Candidates: The Justice paradox in selection procedures

justly balancing multiple goals: the two-factor model in just reward systems

you don't have to win: how the process by outcome interaction help us us resolve conflicts

softening hardships: the fair process effect in layoffs

keeping score fairly: a due process approach to performance appraisal

appropriate questions and criteria: accurate job preview; confidentiality

adequate opportunity to perform

screening tools with predictive validity and procedural justice

goals: motivate individual performance and maintain group cohesion

balance of equity (meeting needs for individual) and equality (meeting needs for group)

arbitration is inherently autocratic

but arbitration is part of procedural justice

if you can't give desired outcome, at least give fair process

hurts victims and undermines morale of survivors

use procedural and interactional justice

integrate employee voice

adequate notice: when, what criteria; have employees help devise performance standards

just hearing: no personal attacks

judgment based on evidence: accurate standards, data should be gathered, decisions based on formal process