Industrial and organizational psychology/Module 11

Fairness, Justice, and Diversity in the Workplace

Module 11.1 - Justice and Fairness

Justice and fairness are terms used to describe an event or an exchange relationship. Trust is the belief in how a person/organization will behave in a specific, future occasion. Organizational justice consists of a web of organizational procedures, outcomes, and interpersonal interactions.

Types of Justices

• Distributive justice - The fairness seen on outcomes or rewards given out by staff. "Fair" could be seen as merit, need norm, or equality norm.
• Procedural justice - The fairness seen on the process in the reward distribution. Having a voice in the matter is the ability to influence the process or outcome of reward distribution. This affects layoffs and one's self-esteem.
• Interactional justice - Answers: "How well are employees treated by each other/their employer?". Includes informational and interpersonal justice.

Injustice

When one experiences injustice, this may lead to retaliation, reduced work effort/motivation by the employee, and a noticeable impact on the employee's attitudes and behavior.

On the other hand, if an employee thinks that justice is a value held by the organization they work at, they'll usually put extra effort ("going the extra mile"), and have satisfactory feelings of being a part of a "family" and that their contributions are significant and worthwhile.

Module 11.2 - Real-World Impact of Justice Perceptions

Performance evaluations allows feedback to be the most important factor behind 'feelings of fairness'. This allows us to go from performance measurement to performance management.

What about the applicants? They may have their own feelings on the selection process, including acceptance/rejection letters, the organization's reputation, and litigation.

EEO vs. Affirmative Action

EEO philosophy - Every individual has the same opportunities, giving space for success to be given based on merit.

Affirmative Action - Provides pathways for reducing underrepresenation of minorities. These programs can be done in various methods. A lot of emotions surround AAP, where controversy surrounds whether or not they favor (unfairly) certain employees over other employees.

Module 11.3 - Diversity

Diversity is the variety in demographic characteristics (race/ethnicity), values, skillsets, fields of interest, and life/work experiences.

Relational demography is the relative makeup of a variety of demographic characteristics in certain work groups. The tendency for work groups to seek homogeneity (oneness, in a way) vs. diversity, in order to create trust, enhance communication, and increase satisfaction, commitment, and effectiveness.

In diverse groups, ideas may conflict with one another, including vision and values. These schisms may cause disagreements regarding needed methods.

Work Group Perspective

Group heterogeneity is better for creative efforts by widening approaches to problem-solving. Culturally homogeneous groups do initially better, but heterogeneous work groups become effective as they age on.

How do we manage diversity as an organization?

• Ineffective models for diversity, including the assimilation model and protection model, should not be used.
• Instead, you should use the value model.

Here are some steps HR can take to facilitate the Value Model

1. Recruit with diversity as an objective.
2. Career developments should be opened for every member of an organization.
3. Diversity training should be mandated.
4. Look at input from diverse group members.
5. Provide support & networks for diverse group members.
6. Develop connections to various cultural groups within a community