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Fairness lies in the heart of the beholder: How the social emotions of third parties influence reactions to injustice

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  • Blader, Steven L.
  • Wiesenfeld, Batia M.
  • Fortin, Marion
  • Wheeler-Smith, Sara L.

Abstract

The present research explores third parties’ (e.g., jurors, ombudsmen, auditors, and employees observing others’ encounters) ability to objectively judge fairness. More specifically, the current research suggests that third parties’ justice judgments and reactions are biased by their attitudes toward the decision recipient and, in particular, the affective aspect of those attitudes as characterized by their felt social emotions. We explore how the congruence of a social emotion (i.e., the extent to which the emotion reflects feeling a subjective sense of alignment with the target of the emotion) can influence their evaluations of recipients’ decision outcomes. The five studies presented show that congruence can lead third parties to react positively to objectively unfair decision outcomes and, importantly, that the influence of social emotions on subjective justice judgments drive third party reactions to decisions, decision makers, and even national policies.

Suggested Citation

  • Blader, Steven L. & Wiesenfeld, Batia M. & Fortin, Marion & Wheeler-Smith, Sara L., 2013. "Fairness lies in the heart of the beholder: How the social emotions of third parties influence reactions to injustice," Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Elsevier, vol. 121(1), pages 62-80.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jobhdp:v:121:y:2013:i:1:p:62-80
    DOI: 10.1016/j.obhdp.2012.12.004
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Turillo, Carmelo Joseph & Folger, Robert & Lavelle, James J. & Umphress, Elizabeth E. & Gee, Julie O., 2002. "Is virtue its own reward? Self-sacrificial decisions for the sake of fairness," Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Elsevier, vol. 89(1), pages 839-865, September.
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    5. Rothman, Naomi B., 2011. "Steering sheep: How expressed emotional ambivalence elicits dominance in interdependent decision making contexts," Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Elsevier, vol. 116(1), pages 66-82, September.
    6. Ambrose, Maureen & Hess, Ronald L. & Ganesan, Shankar, 2007. "The relationship between justice and attitudes: An examination of justice effects on event and system-related attitudes," Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Elsevier, vol. 103(1), pages 21-36, May.
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    Cited by:

    1. Yuntao Bai & Lili Lu & Li Lin-Schilstra, 2022. "Auxiliaries to Abusive Supervisors: The Spillover Effects of Peer Mistreatment on Employee Performance," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 178(1), pages 219-237, June.
    2. Jennifer Carson Marr & Nathan Pettit & Stefan Thau, 2019. "After the Fall: How Perceived Self-Control Protects the Legitimacy of Higher-Ranking Employees After Status Loss," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 30(6), pages 1165-1188, November.
    3. Natàlia Cugueró-Escofet & Marion Fortin & Miguel-Angel Canela, 2014. "Righting the Wrong for Third Parties: How Monetary Compensation, Procedure Changes and Apologies Can Restore Justice for Observers of Injustice," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 122(2), pages 253-268, June.
    4. Natàlia Cugueró-Escofet & Marion Fortin, 2014. "One Justice or Two? A Model of Reconciliation of Normative Justice Theories and Empirical Research on Organizational Justice," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 124(3), pages 435-451, October.
    5. Sherf, Elad N. & Venkataramani, Vijaya, 2015. "Friend or foe? The impact of relational ties with comparison others on outcome fairness and satisfaction judgments," Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Elsevier, vol. 128(C), pages 1-14.
    6. Xiaowan Lin, 2015. "How does procedural justice climate influence individual outcomes? An affective perspective," Asia Pacific Journal of Management, Springer, vol. 32(3), pages 771-800, September.
    7. Naomi Moy & Ho Fai Chan & Frank Mathmann & Markus Schaffner & Benno Torgler, 2021. "Confidence is good; too much, not so much: Exploring the effects on reward-based crowdfunding success," CREMA Working Paper Series 2021-18, Center for Research in Economics, Management and the Arts (CREMA).

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