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Discrimination and Well-Being in Organizations: Testing the Differential Power and Organizational Justice Theories of Workplace Aggression

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  • Stephen Wood
  • Johan Braeken
  • Karen Niven

Abstract

People may be subjected to discrimination from a variety of sources in the workplace. In this study of mental health workers, we contrast four potential perpetrators of discrimination (managers, co-workers, patients, and visitors) to investigate whether the negative impact of discrimination on victims’ well-being will vary in strength depending on the relative power of the perpetrator. We further explore whether the negative impact of discrimination is at least partly explained by its effects on people’s sense of organizational justice, and whether the strength of mediation varies according to the source of discrimination. Using survey data from 1,733 UK mental health workers, a structural equation model was designed to test these hypotheses following a bootstrap approach. Discrimination from all sources was related to well-being, with that from managers having the strongest effects. The results support an explanation of the effect of discrimination on well-being in terms of organizational justice perceptions for discrimination from managers and from visitors, but less so for discrimination from co-workers or from patients. The study highlights the importance of differentiating amongst sources of discrimination at work and the salience of organizational justice perceptions in explaining the effects of discrimination from some sources. Copyright Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2013

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  • Stephen Wood & Johan Braeken & Karen Niven, 2013. "Discrimination and Well-Being in Organizations: Testing the Differential Power and Organizational Justice Theories of Workplace Aggression," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 115(3), pages 617-634, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:jbuset:v:115:y:2013:i:3:p:617-634
    DOI: 10.1007/s10551-012-1404-5
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Pamela Lutgen‐Sandvik & Sarah J. Tracy & Jess K. Alberts, 2007. "Burned by Bullying in the American Workplace: Prevalence, Perception, Degree and Impact," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 44(6), pages 837-862, September.
    2. M. Hershcovis & Sharon Parker & Tara Reich, 2010. "The Moderating Effect of Equal Opportunity Support and Confidence in Grievance Procedures on Sexual Harassment from Different Perpetrators," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 92(3), pages 415-432, March.
    3. Duffy, Michelle K. & Ganster, Daniel C. & Shaw, Jason D. & Johnson, Jonathan L. & Pagon, Milan, 2006. "The social context of undermining behavior at work," Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Elsevier, vol. 101(1), pages 105-126, September.
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    Cited by:

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    2. He, Amy S. & Lizano, Erica L. & Stahlschmidt, Mary Jo, 2021. "When doing the right thing feels wrong: Moral distress among child welfare caseworkers," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 122(C).
    3. Thoroughgood, Christian N. & Sawyer, Katina B. & Webster, Jennica R., 2020. "Finding calm in the storm: A daily investigation of how trait mindfulness buffers against paranoid cognition and emotional exhaustion following perceived discrimination at work," Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Elsevier, vol. 159(C), pages 49-63.
    4. Misra Yeni & Sihol Situngkir & Shofia Amin & Edward, 2022. "The effect of person-organization fit, quality of work-life and organizational justice on job satisfaction and employee performance at PT. Jambi Regional Development bank in Jambi West Region," International Journal of Research in Business and Social Science (2147-4478), Center for the Strategic Studies in Business and Finance, vol. 11(6), pages 241-251, September.
    5. Brad Greenwood & Idris Adjerid & Corey M. Angst & Nathan L. Meikle, 2022. "How Unbecoming of You: Online Experiments Uncovering Gender Biases in Perceptions of Ridesharing Performance," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 175(3), pages 499-518, January.
    6. Wen Wang & Roger Seifert, 2020. "BAME Staff and Public Service Motivation: The Mediating Role of Perceived Fairness in English Local Government," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 161(3), pages 653-664, January.
    7. Tae-Yeol Kim & Jeffrey Edwards & Debra Shapiro, 2015. "Social Comparison and Distributive Justice: East Asia Differences," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 132(2), pages 401-414, December.

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