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The influence of procedural justice characteristics of a performance appraisal system on intrinsic motivation
Abstract
Quality of worklife issues have often been overlooked by corporate management who have typically focused on "bottom line" issues such as quarterly productivity. Recently, however, corporations are realizing the importance of establishing a work environment that promotes the needs of its employees. This dissertation examined the relation between procedural justice and intrinsic motivation, two qualities of worklife critical to employees' well-being. Procedural justice theory posits that the fairness of organizational procedures has important ramifications for both management and employees. For instance, research suggests that giving employees an opportunity to express opinions regarding outcomes or procedures (i.e., procedural fairness) increases perceptions of fairness (Lind & Tyler, 1988). In addition, providing respectful interpersonal treatment of employees (i.e., interactional fairness) also serves to heighten fairness perceptions (Tyler & Bies, 1989). Intrinsic motivation theory postulates the conditions in which individuals will freely engage in particular behaviors with no apparent external contingencies. Deci and Ryan (1985) have shown that perceptions of competence and self-determination are two primary determinants of intrinsic motivation. Examination of the theories revealed striking parallels. A theoretical model of the relationship between procedural justice and intrinsic motivation was developed. In general, it was hypothesized that procedural justice and interactional fairness would promote intrinsic motivation through competence and self-determination. The model and hypotheses were tested in a laboratory experiment that simulated a performance appraisal. One-hundred and sixty-one subjects participated. They were asked to generate brand names for new consumer products and were evaluated on their performance. Independent variables were the fairness of the performance appraisal procedures (procedural justice), the fair treatment of the subject (interactional fairness) by the supervisor (experimenter), and the sign of the performance feedback. The principal dependent variable was intrinsic motivation. Results revealed that the model accounted for 74% of the variance in the self-report measure of intrinsic motivation. Some support was found for the specific hypotheses. Procedural justice elements voice and choice, and interactional fairness significantly affected intrinsic motivation. These results are evidence that fair procedures provide a context that promotes intrinsic motivation.
Subject Area
Occupational psychology|Social psychology
Recommended Citation
Curtis, John Robert, "The influence of procedural justice characteristics of a performance appraisal system on intrinsic motivation" (1991). ETD collection for University of Nebraska-Lincoln. AAI9219366.
https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/dissertations/AAI9219366