Chapter 4: Interpersonal and Informational Justice: Identifying the Differential Antecedents of Interactional Justice Behaviors

Recent work on interactional justice suggests that it can be broken into two distinct dimensions: interpersonal and informational fairness. Despite empirical support demonstrating the distinctiveness of employees’ perceptions of these two interactional justice dimensions, further conceptual development is needed to fully understand the nature of managers’ behaviors leading to such perceptions. Interpersonal justice behaviors include treating others with respect, dignity, and politeness; showing concern and kindness; and considering others’ viewpoints. In contrast, informational justice behaviors are identified as providing reasonable explanations for decisions, being candid in communication, and providing timely communication. We propose that interpersonal and informational justice behaviors have different antecedents, and thus are driven by different underlying mechanisms. More specifically, we propose that the extent to which managers engage in interpersonal justice behaviors is dependent on stable individual differences including personality and values. In contrast, the extent to which managers engage in informational justice behaviors is more dependent on the situational context. We develop research propositions identifying representative antecedents of each of these dimensions of interactional justice, and conclude with suggestions for future research.