BUS272 TB

Chapter 4 Theories of Motivation 149
EXHIBIT 4-13 Model of Organizational Justice
Distributive Justice
Definition: perceived fairness of outcome
Example: I got the pay raise I deserved.
Procedural Justice
Definition: perceived fairness of process
used to determine outcome
Example: I had input into the process
used to give raises and was given a
good explanation of why I received
the raise I did.
Informational Justice
Organizational Justice
Definition: overall perception
of what is fair in the workplace
Example: I think this is a fair
place to work.
Definition: perceived truthfulness of
explanations for decisions
Example: The raise I received was lower
than I had hoped, but my manager
explained that department cutbacks
were the reason.
Interpersonal Justice
Definition: perceived degree to which
one is treated with dignity and respect
Example: When telling me about my
raise, my supervisor was very nice
and complimentary.
theory suggests, employees tend to perceive their outcomes are fairest when they are
distributed equitably.
Does the same logic apply to teams? At first glance, it would seem that distributing
rewards equally among team members is best for boosting morale and teamwork—that
way, no one is favoured more than another. A recent study of National Hockey League
teams suggests otherwise. Differentiating the pay of team members on the basis of their
inputs (how well they performed in games) attracted better players to the team, made
it more likely they would stay, and increased team performance. 81
The way we have described things so far, it would seem that distributive justice and
equity are gauged in a rational, calculative way as individuals compare their outcome–
input ratios to others. But the experience of justice, and especially injustice, is often not
so cold and calculated. Instead, people base distributive judgments on a feeling or an
emotional reaction to the way they think they are being treated relative to others, and
their reactions are often “hot” and emotional as well. 82
Although employees care a lot about what outcomes are distributed (distributive
justice), they also care a lot about how outcomes are distributed. While distributive
justice looks at what outcomes are allocated, procedural justice examines how
outcomes are allocated. 83 What makes procedures more or less fair? There are several
factors. For one, employees perceive that procedures are fairer when they are given a say
procedural justice The perceived
fairness of the process used to determine
the distribution of rewards.