The Influence of Prior Commitment to an Institution on Reactions to Perceived Unfairness: The Higher They Are, The Harder They Fall

TLDR

The study builds on theories linking organizational commitment and perceived fairness to explain institutional reactions. The authors examined how individuals’ prior commitment to an institution shapes their reactions to perceived fairness of institutional decisions in two field settings. In the first study, layoff survivors’ post‑layoff attitudes and behaviors were analyzed as functions of their pre‑layoff commitment and perceived fairness of the layoff rule; in the second, citizens’ commitment to legal authorities was examined relative to their initial commitment and perceived fairness of recent encounters. Across both settings, those with high prior commitment who perceived unfair treatment displayed the most negative reactions.

Abstract

Joel Brockner Columbia University Tom R. Tyler University of California, Berkeley Rochelle Cooper-Schneider Columbia University The influence of individuals' prior commitment to an institution on their reactions to the perceived fairness of decisions rendered by the institution was examined in two different field settings. The first study examined how layoff survivors' work attitudes and behaviors after the layoff changed as a function of (1) their level of organizational commitment prior to the layoff and (2) their perceptions of the fairness of the decision rule used to keep certain employees and lay off others. In the second study, we explored how citizens' commitment to legal authorities changed as a function of their initial level of commitment and their perceptions of how fairly they were treated in their recent encounters with legal authorities. Consistent results emerged across these two settings: The most negative reactions were exhibited by those who previously felt highly committed but who felt that they were treated unfairly by the institution. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.