Organizational justice and conflict: Do perceptions of fairness influence disagreement?

Abstract

Organizational justice may be a vital factor in the development of conflict between personnel within sport organizations. Specifically, perceptions of injustice may increase the potential for disagreement regarding codes of conduct and organizational procedures. The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of multiple dimensions of organizational justice (i.e., distributive, procedural, interactional, and informational) on the perception of intragroup conflict. Paid staff from 262 regional sport commissions and convention and visitors bureaus (CVBs) across the United States responded to an online study to measure perceptions of justice and conflict. Results indicating procedural, interactional, and informational justice predicted the perception of intragroup conflict in this setting. The unique impact of each type of justice may be explained by instrumental and relational models, which has implications for sport management theory and practice.