Why Does Organizational Justice Matter? Uncertainty Management among Border Patrol Agents

• In Event: Organizational Justice, Police Attitudes, and Work-Related Outcomes

Abstract

Several decades of social psychology and business management research reveal that employee’s perceptions of organizational justice are associated with numerous organizational citizenship behaviors. The role of organizational justice within criminal justice agency settings has received considerable attention over the past few years. This research has shown, for example, that police officers who believe they have been treated fairly by supervisors are less likely to engage in misconduct, have more trust in their agency, have more confidence in their authority, are more likely to use procedural justice during citizen interactions, and are more satisfied with their jobs. The problem, however, is that we have little understanding at this point concerning why fairness is important to officers. This study addresses this gap by drawing on survey data from a sample of U.S. Border Patrol agents. Specifically, we use uncertainty management theory to advance our understanding of the mechanism tying organizational justice to employee satisfaction.

Authors

• Scott E Wolfe, Michigan State University

• Jeff Rojek, UTEP

• Allison Rojek, UTEP

• Vic Manjarrez, UTEP