Fairness of performance evaluation procedures and job satisfaction: the role of outcome-based and non-outcome based effects

Abstract

Prior management accounting studies on fairness perceptions have overlooked two important issues. First, no prior management accounting studies have investigated how procedural fairness, by itself, affects managers' job satisfaction. Second, management accounting researchers have not demonstrated how conflicting theories on procedural fairness can be integrated and explained in a coherent manner. Our model proposes that fairness of procedures for performance evaluation affects job satisfaction through two distinct processes. The first is out-come-based through fairness of outcomes (distributive fairness). The second is non-outcome-based through trust in superior and organisational commitment. Based on a sample of 110 managers, the results indicate that while procedural fairness perceptions affect job satisfaction through both processes, the non-outcome-based process is much stronger than the outcome-based process. These results may be used to develop a unified theory on procedural fairness effects.