Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Contrast distributive and procedural justice. What implications might they have for designing pay systems in different countries?

Contrast distributive and procedural justice. What implications might they have for designing pay systems in different countries?

Distributive justice, or economic justice, is concerned with giving all members of society a "fair share" of the benefits and resources available. However, while everyone might agree that wealth should be distributed fairly, there is much disagreement about what counts as a "fair share." Some possible criteria of distribution are equity, equality, and need. (Equity means that one's rewards should be equal to one's contributions to a society, while "equality" means that everyone gets the same amount, regardless of their input. Distribution on the basis of need means that people who need more will get more, while people who need less will get less.) Fair allocation of resources, or distributive justice, is crucial to the stability of a society and the well-being of its members. When issues of distributive justice are inadequately addressed and the item to be distributed is highly valued, intractable conflicts frequently result.

Procedural justice is concerned with making and implementing decisions according to fair processes that ensure "fair treatment." Rules must be impartially followed and consistently applied in order to generate an unbiased decision. Those carrying out the procedures should be neutral, and those directly affected by the decisions should have some voice or representation in the decision-making process. (See the essay on public participation.) If people believe procedures to be fair, they will be more likely to accept outcomes, even ones that they do not like. Implementing fair procedures is central to many dispute resolution procedures, including negotiation, mediation, arbitration, and adjudication.

Historically, equity theory focused on distributive justice or “the perceived fairness of the amount and allocation of rewards among individuals.” Equity should also consider procedural justice, “the perceived fairness of the process used to determine the distribution of rewards.” The evidence indicates that distributive justice has a greater influence on employee satisfaction than procedural justice. Procedural justice tends to affect an employee’s organizational commitment, trust in his or her boss, and intention to quit. By increasing the perception of procedural fairness, employees are likely to view their bosses and the organization as positive even if they are dissatisfied with pay, promotions, and other personal outcomes.

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