Procedural Fairness: How Employees Evaluate Procedures

Five studies, one laboratory experiment and four field studies, that examine the effects of variation in resource allocation procedure, enactment and outcome on procedural and distributive fairness judgments are reported. The laboratory study tested these effects on the reactions of subjects in a business simulation. Subjects who were given the opportunity to present information in a resource allocation situation evaluated the procedure and the outcome they were awarded more favorably than subjects who were not given this opportunity. Subjects who were awarded positive outcomes also evaluated the procedure and their outcomes more favorably than subjects who were awarded a negative outcome. Field studies 1 and 2 examined the effects of variation in procedures that are used to allocate resources to soldiers in the Canadian Forces. These studies demonstrate the external validity of the results of the laboratory experiment. Members of the organization who were allowed to present information that was relevant to their evaluations in these two studies were more satisfied with the procedures and their outcomes than members of the organization who could not supply this information. Field studies 3 and 4 demonstrated that organizations cannot institute fair resource allocation procedures without concern for the way the procedures will be enacted or used by their members. Individuals who reported that procedures were conducted in some manner other than that specified evaluated the procedures more in terms of their outcomes than individuals who reported that the procedures were enacted according to regulations. These studies disconfirm a major theory of procedural fairness judgments that predicts that these evaluations are determined solely by the outcomes that are awarded to individuals. These studies provide strong support for two theories that consider both procedures and outcomes to be determinants of procedural fairness judgments. The practical applications of this research and its implications for further research in Industrial/Organizational psychology are also discussed.

Name thesis:degree_name

Ph.D.

Level thesis:degree_level

Dissertation

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Psychology

Grantor

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Year dc:date

2014

Author dc:creator

• Lissak, Robin Itzchak

• Psychology, Industrial

Identifier

(UMI)AAI8409988

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:www.ideals.illinois.edu:2142/69636