Identifying a missing link between participation and satisfaction : The mediating role of procedural justice perceptions

This study examined the mediating role of procedural justice in the relationship between participation and satisfaction. The study design used 3 possible goal-setting methods-assigned, self-set, and participative. A total of 235 undergraduate students participated in 3 trials of a class scheduling task. Structural equation modeling of the predicted model showed that perceived participation affected satisfaction through effects on the perceived fairness of participation in decision-making procedures. Tests of an alternative model further supported the hypothesized relationship. The results suggested that perceived justice may be responsible, at least in part, for participation effects on satisfaction and may provide an explanation for inconsistencies in prior participation studies.

[1]  Carrie R. Leana.  Power relinquishment versus power sharing: Theoretical clarification and empirical comparison of delegation and participation. , 1987 .

[2]  P. Earley,et al.  Voice, control, and procedural justice : instrumental and noninstrumental concerns in fairness judgments , 1990 .

[3]  Edwin A. Locke,et al.  Cognitive and motivational effects of participation: A mediator study , 1994 .

[4]  Max H. Bazerman,et al.  Negotiating in Organizations , 1983 .

[5]  R. Bagozzi,et al.  On the evaluation of structural equation models , 1988 .

[6]  John Thibaut,et al.  A Theory of Procedure , 1978 .

[7]  J. M. Schepers,et al.  Participation in decision making , 2000 .

[8]  Scott H. Decker,et al.  Law and Society Review , 1979 .

[9]  John A. Wagner,et al.  Participation's Effects On Performance and Satisfaction: A Reconsideration Of Research Evidence , 1994 .

[10]  Jerald Greenberg,et al.  Procedural Justice, Participation, and the Fair Process Effect in Groups and Organizations , 1983 .

[11]  R. Folger.  Distributive and procedural justice: Combined impact of voice and improvement on experienced inequity. , 1977 .

[12]  Edwin A. Locke,et al.  Participation in decision making: An information exchange perspective. , 1997 .

[13]  Tom R. Tyler,et al.  What is procedural justice? Criteria used by citizens to assess the fairness of legal procedures. , 1988 .

[14]  J. S. Long,et al.  Testing Structural Equation Models , 1993 .

[15]  Carrie R. Leana.  Predictors and Consequences of Delegation , 1986 .

[16]  Paul B. Paulus,et al.  Basic group processes , 1983 .

[17]  G. Latham,et al.  The Effect of Learning versus Outcome Goals on a Simple versus a Complex Task , 1996 .

[18]  Henry L. Tosi.  A Theory of Goal Setting and Task Performance , 1991 .

[19]  V. Vroom,et al.  Leadership and decision-making , 1975 .

[20]  P. Earley,et al.  Fairness and participation in evaluation procedures: Effects on task attitudes and performance , 1987 .

[21]  P. Christopher Earley,et al.  The influence of component participation and role models on goal acceptance, goal satisfaction and performance , 1985 .

[22]  P. Christopher Earley,et al.  Procedural justice and participation in task selection: The role of control in mediating justice judgments. , 1987 .

[23]  Shelley A. Kirkpatrick,et al.  Locus of Knowledge as a Determinant of the Effects of Participation on Performance, Affect, and Perceptions , 1995 .

[24]  Marvin D. Dunnette,et al.  Factors contributing to job satisfaction and job dissatisfaction in six occupational groups , 1967 .

[25]  Marian N. Ruderman,et al.  The role of procedural and distributive justice in organizational behavior , 1987 .

[26]  E. A. Locke,et al.  Participation in Decision-Making: One More Look , 1979 .

[27]  P. Christopher Earley,et al.  Influence of information, choice and task complexity upon goal acceptance, performance, and personal goals. , 1985 .

[28]  T. Tyler,et al.  The Social Psychology of Procedural Justice , 1988 .

[29]  C Loehlin John,et al.  Latent variable models: an introduction to factor, path, and structural analysis , 1986 .

[30]  E. A. Locke,et al.  Generalizing From Laboratory to Field Settings. , 1987 .

[31]  Stuart S. Nagel,et al.  Procedural Justice: A Psychological Analysis , 1976 .

[32]  Edwin A. Locke,et al.  Resolving scientific disputes by the joint design of crucial experiments by the antagonists: Application to the Erez–Latham dispute regarding participation in goal setting. , 1988 .

[33]  Jerald Greenberg,et al.  The Quest for Justice on the Job: Essays and Experiments , 1995 .