Prior research in the field of organizational justice has primarily focused on the specific justice dimensions and their impact on individual workers. This study takes a new direction by examining justice perceptions in a previously unexamined group, middle managers. Recent studies have argued that specific dimensions of justice influence the development of an individual’s overall justice perceptions and that a focus on overall justice may provide a more complete understanding of the justice construct and more accurately capture the individual’s experience. Missing from the literature is an examination of how the justice perceptions of middle managers are impacted when implementing corporate decisions that have no direct impact on the managers themselves. Because justice perceptions are strongly linked to key organizational behaviors and attitudes, understanding how middle managers’ perceptions are influenced can give insight into how an organization can keep managers committed to the strategy of the organization. The middle management group is critical to the organization performing a “linking pin” role simultaneously representing the interest of the organization and their subordinates. Research has indicated that the middle management groups’ perceptions, behaviors, and interactions can have influence on both employees and senior leaders. The dissertation examines the link that a managers’ level of agreement with a decision outcome has with their justice perceptions and the influence that explanations have on the relationship. The study will also propose how employee perceptions of procedural justice can impact the managers’ perceptions of justice and the role that their commitment to the employee group plays in the relationship.
","abstract_html":"<p>Prior research in the field of organizational justice has primarily focused on the specific justice dimensions and their impact on individual workers. This study takes a new direction by examining justice perceptions in a previously unexamined group, middle managers. Recent studies have argued that specific dimensions of justice influence the development of an individual’s overall justice perceptions and that a focus on overall justice may provide a more complete understanding of the justice construct and more accurately capture the individual’s experience. Missing from the literature is an examination of how the justice perceptions of middle managers are impacted when implementing corporate decisions that have no direct impact on the managers themselves. Because justice perceptions are strongly linked to key organizational behaviors and attitudes, understanding how middle managers’ perceptions are influenced can give insight into how an organization can keep managers committed to the strategy of the organization. The middle management group is critical to the organization performing a “linking pin” role simultaneously representing the interest of the organization and their subordinates. Research has indicated that the middle management groups’ perceptions, behaviors, and interactions can have influence on both employees and senior leaders. The dissertation examines the link that a managers’ level of agreement with a decision outcome has with their justice perceptions and the influence that explanations have on the relationship. The study will also propose how employee perceptions of procedural justice can impact the managers’ perceptions of justice and the role that their commitment to the employee group plays in the relationship.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Macenczak, Lee A."],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Doctor of Business Administration (DBA)","degree_level":"Dissertation","degree_discipline":"Management","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Dr. Amy Henley","Dr. Stacy Campbell","Dr. Neal Mero"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2014,"date_issued":"2014-04-15T07:00:00Z","date_published":"2014-04-15T07:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:43:00Z","subjects":["organizational justice","middle managers","justice perceptions","corporate decision making","Business","Business Administration, Management, and Operations"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://digitalcommons.kennesaw.edu/etd/641","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Dr. Amy Henley","Dr. Stacy Campbell","Dr. Neal Mero"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Macenczak, Lee A."]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2014-09-16T07:00:00Z"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Management"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Dissertation"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Doctor of Business Administration (DBA)"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["organizational justice","middle managers","justice perceptions","corporate decision making","Business","Business Administration, Management, and Operations"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://digitalcommons.kennesaw.edu/etd/641"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["Prior research in the field of organizational justice has primarily focused on the specific justice dimensions and their impact on individual workers. This study takes a new direction by examining justice perceptions in a previously unexamined group, middle managers. Recent studies have argued that specific dimensions of justice influence the development of an individual’s overall justice perceptions and that a focus on overall justice may provide a more complete understanding of the justice construct and more accurately capture the individual’s experience. Missing from the literature is an examination of how the justice perceptions of middle managers are impacted when implementing corporate decisions that have no direct impact on the managers themselves. Because justice perceptions are strongly linked to key organizational behaviors and attitudes, understanding how middle managers’ perceptions are influenced can give insight into how an organization can keep managers committed to the strategy of the organization. The middle management group is critical to the organization performing a “linking pin” role simultaneously representing the interest of the organization and their subordinates. Research has indicated that the middle management groups’ perceptions, behaviors, and interactions can have influence on both employees and senior leaders. The dissertation examines the link that a managers’ level of agreement with a decision outcome has with their justice perceptions and the influence that explanations have on the relationship. The study will also propose how employee perceptions of procedural justice can impact the managers’ perceptions of justice and the role that their commitment to the employee group plays in the relationship.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Stuck in the Middle: The Impact of Implementing Corporate Decisions on Middle Managers' Justice Perceptions"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Dr. Amy Henley","Dr. Stacy Campbell","Dr. Neal Mero"],"dc:creator":["Macenczak, Lee A."],"dc:date.available":["2014-09-16T07:00:00Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["Prior research in the field of organizational justice has primarily focused on the specific justice dimensions and their impact on individual workers. This study takes a new direction by examining justice perceptions in a previously unexamined group, middle managers. Recent studies have argued that specific dimensions of justice influence the development of an individual’s overall justice perceptions and that a focus on overall justice may provide a more complete understanding of the justice construct and more accurately capture the individual’s experience. Missing from the literature is an examination of how the justice perceptions of middle managers are impacted when implementing corporate decisions that have no direct impact on the managers themselves. Because justice perceptions are strongly linked to key organizational behaviors and attitudes, understanding how middle managers’ perceptions are influenced can give insight into how an organization can keep managers committed to the strategy of the organization. The middle management group is critical to the organization performing a “linking pin” role simultaneously representing the interest of the organization and their subordinates. Research has indicated that the middle management groups’ perceptions, behaviors, and interactions can have influence on both employees and senior leaders. The dissertation examines the link that a managers’ level of agreement with a decision outcome has with their justice perceptions and the influence that explanations have on the relationship. The study will also propose how employee perceptions of procedural justice can impact the managers’ perceptions of justice and the role that their commitment to the employee group plays in the relationship.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://digitalcommons.kennesaw.edu/etd/641"],"dc:subject":["organizational justice","middle managers","justice perceptions","corporate decision making","Business","Business Administration, Management, and Operations"],"dc:title":["Stuck in the Middle: The Impact of Implementing Corporate Decisions on Middle Managers' Justice Perceptions"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Management"],"thesis:degree_level":["Dissertation"],"thesis:degree_name":["Doctor of Business Administration (DBA)"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:43:00Z"}