The Self in Procedural Fairness

Abstract

AbstractProcedural fairness (whether the organizational decision‐making process is perceived as fair) has profound psychological effects on organizational members. A vital reason for these effects is that organizational procedures communicate information which is relevant to the self. Specifically, this information is relevant to different types of self (individual, collective, relational) and, more importantly, to different motives within each type of self. As such, procedures satisfy the motives of uncertainty reduction and self‐enhancement (individual self), the motives of reputation and status (collective self), and the motives of belongingness and respect (relational self). We provide illustrative evidence in support of our conceptual map, discuss complexities, and offer suggestions for future research.