Communication, Procedural Justice, and Employee Attitudes: Relationships Under Conditions of Divestiture

This study examines the relationships among managerial communication, perceptions of the procedural justice of layoffs, and employee attitudes within the context of divestiture. As we expected, employee perceptions of procedural justice regarding the divestiture predicted, at one point in time, trust in new ownership and, two months later, post-divestiture commitment to the organization. Also as hypothesized, perceptions of the justice of the divestiture explained variance in trust and commitment above and beyond that explained by the perceived justice of the layoffs. Finally, as predicted, managerial communications that helped employees understand the events surrounding the divestiture increased perceptions of the procedural justice of the divestiture and layoffs, and had both indirect and direct effects on future commitment.

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