Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-gb8f7 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-22T09:29:32.586Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Justice at the Workplace: A Review

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  06 March 2018

MARIANNA VIRTANEN  and
MARKO ELOVAINIO
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract:

Modern work life is characterized by constant change, reorganizations, and requirements of efficiency, which make the distribution of resources and obligations, as well as justice in decisionmaking, highly important. In the work life context, it is a question not only of distributing resources and obligations, but also of the procedures and rules that guide the decisionmaking in the organization. Studies of these rules and procedures have provided the basis for a new line of research that evaluates leadership and social relationships in working communities; that is, distributive, procedural, and relational justice. This review follows the development of research on organizational justice from its origins in early social and motivational psychological theories to its establishment as a major line of research in modern work and organizational psychology. The adverse consequences of injustice include poor team climate, reduced productivity and well-being, and work-related illnesses.

Keywords

psychosocialorganizational justicehealthproductivityreview
Type
Special Section: Justice, Healthcare, and Wellness
Information
Cambridge Quarterly of Healthcare Ethics , Volume 27 , Issue 2 , April 2018 , pp. 306 - 315
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2018 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Notes

1. Dollard, J, Doob, LW, Miller, NE, Mowrer, OH, Sears, RR. Frustration and aggression. New Haven: Yale University Freer; 1939.CrossRefGoogle Scholar

2. Maslow AH. A theory of human motivation. Psychological Review 1943;50:370–96.

3. Heider F. Attitudes and cognitive organzation. Journal of Psychology 1946;21:107–12.

4. Heider F. The Psychology of Interpersonal Relations. New York: Wiley; 1958.

5. Festinger L. A Theory of Cognitive Dissonance. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press; 1957.

6. Stouffer SA, Suchman EA, DeVinney LC, Star SA, Williams Jr. RM. Studies in Social Psychology in World War II: The American Soldier. Vol. 1, Adjustment During Army Life. USA: Princeton: Princeton University Press; 1949.

7. Homans GC. Social behavior as exchange. American Journal of Sociology 1958;63:597–606.

8. Kawachi I, Takao S, Subramanian SV. Global Perspectives on Social Capital and Health. New York: Springer; 2013.

9. Blau PM. Exchange and Power in Social Life. New York: Wiley; 1964.

10. Adams JS. Inequity in Social Exchange. In: Berkowitz L, ed. Advances in Experimental Social Psychology. New York: Academic Press.; 1965:267–99.

11. McEwen BS. Protective and damaging effects of stress mediators. New England Journal of Medicine 1998;338:171-9.

12. Brotman DJ, Golden SH, Wittstein IS. The cardiovascular toll of stress. Lancet 2007;370:1089–100.

13. Deutsch M. The Resolution of Conflict: Constructive and Destructive Processes. New Haven: Yale University Press; 1973.

14. Leventhal GS. The distribution of rewards and resources in groups and organizations. In: Berkowitz L, Walster W, eds. Advances in Experimental Social Psychology. New York: Academic Press; 1976.

15. Thibaut JW, Walker L. Procedural Justice: A Psychological Analysis. Hillsdale: Erlbaum; 1975.

16. See note 15, Thibaut, Walker 1975.

17. Moorman RH. Relationship between organizational justice and organizational citizenship behaviors: Do fairness perceptions influence employee citizenship? Journal of Applied Psychology 1991;76:845–55.

18. See note 10, Adams 1965.

19. Greenberg J. Organizational justice: Yesterday, today, and tomorrow. Journal of Management 1990;16:399–432.

20. Lind EA, Tyler TR. The Social Psychology of Procedural Justice. New York: Plenum; 1988.

21. Leventhal GS. What should be done with equity theory? In: Gergen KJ, Greenberg MS, Willis RH, eds. Social Exchanges: Advances in Theory and Research. New York: Plenum; 1980:27–55.

22. Bies RJ, Moag JF. Interactional justice: Communication criteria of fairness. In: Lewicki RJ, Sheppard BH, Bazerman MH, eds. Research in Negotiations in Organizations. Greenwich, CT: JAI Press; 1986.

23. See note 21, Leventhal 1980.

24. See note 22 Bies, Moag 1986.

25. Colquitt JA. On the dimensionality of organizational justice: A construct validation of a measure. Journal of Applied Psychology 2001;86:386–400.

26. Brockner J, Fishman AY, Reb J, Goldman B, Spiegel S, Garden C. Procedural fairness, outcome favorability, and judgments of an authority’s responsibility. Journal of Applied Psychology 2007;92:1657–71.

27. See note 20, Lind, Tyler 1988.

28. Folger R. A referent cognitions theory of relative deprivation. In: Olson JM, Herman CP, Zanna MP, eds. Relative Deprivation and Social Comparison: The Ontario Symposium, Volume 4. New York and London: Psychology Press; 1986.

29. See note 6, Stouffer et al. 1949.

30. See note 15, Thibaut, Walker 1975.

31. See note 21, Leventhal 1980.

32. See note 20, Lind, Tyler 1988.

33. Colquitt, JA, Conlon, DE, Wesson, MJ, Porter, CO, Ng, KY. Justice at the millennium: A meta-analytic review of 25 years of organizational justice research. Journal of Applied Psychology 2001;86:425–45.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed

34. Cropanzano R, Byrne ZS, Bobocel DR, Rupp DR. Moral virtues, fairness heuristics, social entities, and other denizens of organizational justice. Journal of Vocational Behavior 2001;58:164–209.

35. Miller DT. Disrespect and the experience of injustice. Annual Review of Psychology 2001;52:527–53.

36. Greenberg, J, Colquitt, JA. Handbook of Organizational Justice. Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum; 2005.Google Scholar

37. Colquitt JA, Scott BA, Rodell JB, Long DM, Zapata CP, Conlon DE, et al. Justice at the millennium, a decade later: a meta-analytic test of social exchange and affect-based perspectives. Journal of Applied Psychology 2013;98:199–236.

38. Whitman DS, Caleo S, Carpenter NC, Horner MT, Bernerth JB. Fairness at the collective level: A meta-analytic examination of the consequences and boundary conditions of organizational justice climate. Journal of Applied Psychology 2012;97:776–91.

39. Colquitt JA, Greenberg J, Zapata-Phelan CP. What is organizational justice? A historical overview. In: Greenberg J, Colquitt JA, eds. The Handbook of Organizational Justice. Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum; 2005.

40. Colquitt JA, Lepine JA, Piccolo RF, Zapata CP, Rich BL. Explaining the justice-performance relationship: Trust as exchange deepener or trust as uncertainty reducer? Journal of Applied Psychology 2012;97:1–15.

41. See note 33, Colquitt et al. 2001.

42. See note 40, Colquitt et al. 2012.

43. See note 33, Colquitt et al. 2001.

44. See note 37, Colquitt et al. 2013.

45. Posthuma, R, Maertz, C, Dworkin, J. Procedural justice’s relationship with turnover: explaining past inconsistent findings. Journal of Organizational Behavior 2007;28:281–398.CrossRefGoogle Scholar

46. See note 33, Colquitt et al. 2001.

47. Elovainio M, Kivimaki M, Helkama K. Organization justice evaluations, job control, and occupational strain. Journal of Applied Psychology 2001;86:418–24.

48. See note 11, McEwen 1998.

49. See note 47, Elovainio et al. 2001.

50. Elovainio M, Kivimaki M, Vahtera J. Organizational justice: Evidence of a new psychosocial predictor of health. American Journal of Public Health 2002;92:105–8.

51. Elovainio M, Linna A, Virtanen M, Oksanen T, Kivimaki M, Pentti J, et al. Perceived organizational justice as a predictor of long-term sickness absence due to diagnosed mental disorders: Results from the prospective longitudinal Finnish Public Sector Study. Social Science and Medicine 2013;91:39–47.

52. Ndjaboue R, Brisson C, Vezina M. Organisational justice and mental health: a systematic review of prospective studies. Occupational and Environmental Medicine 2012;69:694–700.

53. Fishta A, Backe EM. Psychosocial stress at work and cardiovascular diseases: An overview of systematic reviews. International Archives of Occupational and Environmental Health 2015;88:997–1014.

54. Eller N, Netterström B, Gyntelberg F, Kristensen TS, Nielsen F, Steptoe A, et al. Work-related psychosocial factors and the development of ischemic heart disease. Cardiology in Review 2009;17:83–97.

55. Elovainio M, Leino-Arjas P, Vahtera J, Kivimaki M. Justice at work and cardiovascular mortality: A prospective cohort study. Journal of Psychosomatic Research 2006;61:271–4.

56. Kivimaki M, Ferrie JE, Brunner E, Head J, Shipley MJ, Vahtera J, et al. Justice at work and reduced risk of coronary heart disease among employees: The Whitehall II Study. Archives of Internal Medicine 2005;165:2245–51.

57. Theorell T, Jood K, Jarvholm LS, Vingard E, Perk J, Ostergren PO, et al. A systematic review of studies in the contributions of the work environment to ischaemic heart disease development. European Journal of Public Health 2016;26:470–7.

58. Nyberg A, Alfredsson L, Theorell T, Westerlund H, Vahtera J, Kivimaki M. Managerial leadership and ischaemic heart disease among employees: The Swedish WOLF study. Occupational and Environmental Medicine 2009;66:51–5.

59. Elovainio M, Kivimaki M, Puttonen S, Lindholm H, Pohjonen T, Sinervo T. Organisational injustice and impaired cardiovascular regulation among female employees. Occupational and Environmental Medicine 2006;63:141–4.

60. Gimeno D, Tabak AG, Ferrie JE, Shipley MJ, De Vogli R, Elovainio M, et al. Justice at work and metabolic syndrome: The Whitehall II study. Occupational and Environmental Medicine 2010;67:256–62.

61. Elovainio M, Ferrie JE, Singh-Manoux A, Gimeno D, De Vogli R, Shipley M, et al. Organisational justice and markers of inflammation: the Whitehall II study. Occupational and Environmental Medicine 2010;67:78–83.

62. Elovainio M, Kivimaki M, Vahtera J, Keltikangas-Jarvinen L, Virtanen M. Sleeping problems and health behaviors as mediators between organizational justice and health. Health Psychology 2003;22:287–93.

63. Lallukka T, Halonen JI, Sivertsen B, Pentti J, Stenholm S, Virtanen M, et al. Change in organizational justice as a predictor of insomnia symptoms: Longitudinal study analysing observational data as a non-randomized pseudo-trial. International Journal of Epidemiology 2017 [Epub ahead of print].

64. Elovainio M, Singh-Manoux A, Ferrie JE, Shipley M, Gimeno D, De Vogli R, et al. Organisational justice and cognitive function in middle-aged employees: The Whitehall II study. Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health 2012;66:552–6.

65. Kouvonen A, Kivimaki M, Elovainio M, Vaananen A, De Vogli R, Heponiemi T, et al. Low organisational justice and heavy drinking: A prospective cohort study. Occupational and Environmental Medicine 2008;65:44–50.

66. Kouvonen A, Vahtera J, Elovainio M, Cox SJ, Cox T, Linna A, et al. Organisational justice and smoking: The Finnish Public Sector Study. Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health 2007;61:427–33.

67. See note 26, Brockner et al. 2007.

68. Van den Bos K, Lind EA. Uncertainty management by means of fairness judgments. In: Zanna MP, ed. Advances in Experimental Social Psychology. San Diego, CA: Academic Press; 2002.

69. See note 37, Colquitt et al. 2013.

70. See note 9, Blau 1964.

71. See note 40, Colquitt et al. 2012.

72. See note 68, Van den Bos, Lind 2002.

73. See note 37, Colquitt et al. 2013.

74. Skarlicki DP, Folger R. Retaliation in the workplace: The roles of distributive, procedural, and interactional justice. Journal of Applied Psychology 1997;82:434–43.

75. See note 37, Colquitt et al. 2013.

76. Colquitt JA, Zapata-Phelan CP, Robertson QM. Justice in teams: A review of fairness effects in collective contexts. In: Martocchio JJ, ed. Research in Personnel and Human Resources Management. Maryland Heights, MO: Elsevier Science/JAI Press; 2005.

77. See note 38, Whitman et al. 2012.

78. Schneider B. The people make the place. Personnel Psychology 1987;40:437–53.

79. Degoey P. Contagious justice: Exploring the social construction of justice in organizations. Research in Organizational Behavior 2000;22:51–102.

80. Lind EA. Fairness heuristic theory: Justice judgments as pivotal cognitions in organizational relations. In: Greenberg J, Cropanzano R, eds. Advances in Organizational Justice. Stanford: Stanford University Press; 2001.

81. Salanick GR, Pfeffer J. A social information processing approach to job attitudes and task design. Administrative Science Quartely 1978;23:224–53.

82. See note 38, Whitman et al. 2012.

83. See note 51, Elovainio et al. 2013.

84. Kivimäki, M, Elovainio, M, Vahtera, J, Ferrie, JE. Organisational justice and health of employees: Prospective cohort study. Occupational and Environmental Medicine 2003;60:27–33.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed

85. Virtanen, M, Kivimaki, M, Luopa, P, Vahtera, J, Elovainio, M, Jokela, J, et al. Staff reports of psychosocial climate at school and adolescents’ health, truancy and health education in Finland. European Journal of Public Health 2009;19:554–60.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed

86. Elovainio M, Pietikainen M, Luopa P, Kivimaki M, Ferrie JE, Jokela J, et al. Organizational justice at school and its associations with pupils’ psychosocial school environment, health, and wellbeing. Social Science and Medicine 2011;73:1675–82.

87. See note 85, Virtanen et al. 2009.

88. See note 86, Elovainio et al. 2011.

89. Virtanen M, Kurvinen T, Terho K, Oksanen T, Peltonen R, Vahtera J, et al. Work hours, work stress, and collaboration among ward staff in relation to risk of hospital-associated infection among patients. Medical Care 2009;47:310–8.

90. Virtanen M, Oksanen T, Kawachi I, Subramanian SV, Elovainio M, Suominen S, et al. Organizational justice in primary-care health centers and glycemic control in patients with type 2 diabetes. Medical Care 2012;50:831–5.

91. Elovainio, M, Steen, N, Presseau, J, Francis, J, Hrisos, S, Hawthorne, G, et al. Is organizational justice associated with clinical performance in the care for patients with diabetes in primary care? Evidence from the Improving Quality of Care in Diabetes study. Family Practice 2013;30:31–9.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed

92. See note 38, Whitman et al. 2012.