Beyond 'Voice': The Influence of Decision-Maker Justification and Sincerity on Procedural Fairness Judgments

• NCJ Number: 110848
• Author(s): R J Bies
• Date Published: 1988
• Length: 17 pages
• Corporate Author: Northwestern University
• Publication Format: Document
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: Working Paper No. 23

Annotation

Procedural justice research findings indicate that providing people an opportunity to exercise 'voice' in decisionmaking enhances their judgments of procedural fairness, even when the outcome is unfavorable.

Abstract

Such judgments can also be influenced when a decisionmaker justifies his or her decisions, according to recent empirical evidence. That influence is independent of voice considerations. In this paper, a study is presented that examines the effects of the opportunity for voice, a decisionmaker justification, and the sincerity with which the justification is given on people's judgments of procedural fairness. Based on data from a survey of 102 currently employed people, it was found that their judgments of procedural fairness were positively associated with the opportunity for voice, a decisionmaker justification, and decisionmaker sincerity. These findings are discussed in terms of their implications for procedural justice theory and research. 22 references and 2 tables. (Author abstract modified)