Justice and employee reactions during organizational change: The mediating role of overall justice.

Introduction. Several studies have investigated the mediating role of overall justice (OJ) in the relationships between specific dimensions of justice and employee attitudes. However, prior research has neglected to examine OJ during the process of organizational change, i.e. a situation of uncertainty, as suggested in Fairness Heuristic Theory (FHT) and Uncertainty Management Theory (UMT).
Objective. Building on FHT and UMT, this study examines, in two contexts of organizational change implementation, the mediating role of OJ in the relationships between procedural, interpersonal, and informational justice (PJ, ITJ, and IFJ, respectively) and employee attitudes (job satisfaction, turnover intentions, and organizational commitment).
Methodology. We surveyed 537 employees experiencing a company reorganization (Study 1) and 188 employees experiencing a merger (Study 2).
Results. Each dimension of justice is related to OJ, which in turn is associated to employee attitudes. Furthermore, bootstrap results indicated that OJ mediates the effects of PJ, ITJ, and IFJ on job satisfaction and turnover intentions (in both studies), and on affective, normative, and continuance commitment (in Study 2).
Conclusion. OJ is a central element to manage a situation of uncertainty. Treating employees fairly during times of change is therefore more crucial than ever for managers.