TESTING THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ORGANIZATIONAL JUSTICE AND ORGANIZATIONAL TRUST: A FIELD STUDY
Keywords:
Organizational Trust, Organizational Behavior, ImpactAbstract
This research discusses the concept of organizational justice, its various dimensions, and its impact on individuals and institutions. It also demonstrates the importance of organizational trust in building strong relationships and achieving goals. The field study examines the perceptions of administrative employees at the University of Djelfa (Algeria) faculties regarding the impact of organizational justice on trust. Moreover, the study used descriptive and field study methods to achieve this goal. It included a sample of 194 employees. This study indicated that employees' perceptions of organizational justice and trust were average. The positive relationship between organizational justice and trust was confirmed. The procedural justice dimension has a strong relationship with organizational trust. At the same time, we did not find a significant relationship between "distributive justice" or "transactional justice" and organizational trust. In this research, we proposed enhancing trust and teamwork, organizing scientific seminars to raise awareness of the importance of organizational trust, studying the cultural and social factors that affect individuals' perceptions of justice and trust, adopting transparency and digitization, and fostering joint interactions between leaders and employees through direct communication and the regular sharing of important information.
References
Adams, J. S. (1963). Towards an understanding of inequity. Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology, 67(05), pp. 422–436. https://doi.org/10.1037/h0040968
Akram, A., Kamran, M., Muhammad, S. I., Habibah, U., Atif Ishaq, M., & Wanasika, I. (2018, 01 29). The impact of supervisory justice and perceived Supervisory support for organizational citizenship behavior and commitment to the supervisor: the mediating role of trust. Cogent Business & Management, 05(01). https://doi.org/10.1080/23311975.2018.1493902
Ashu, H. A., Rufai, O. H., Tassang, A., Gadabu, A., Ibrahim, B., David, A. O., . . . Alademomi, R. O. (2019). Repairing Individual Trust in an Organizational Setting: The Mediating and Moderating Role of Benevolence and Competence-Based. Journal of Marketing and Consumer Research, 63, pp. 49-61. https://dx.doi.org/10.7176/JMCR/63-05
Barnard, C. I. (1968). The functions of the executive (Vol. 11). Boston: Harvard University Press.
Baron, R. M., & Kenny, D. A. (1986). The moderator-mediator variable distinction in social psychological research: Conceptual, strategic, and statistical considerations. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 51(06), pp. 1173–1182. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.51.6.1173
Baumgold, D. (2013). Trust" in Hobbes's political thought. Political Theory, 41(06), pp. 838–855. https://doi.org/10.1177/0090591713499764
Bidarian, S., & Jafari, P. (2012). The Relationship Between Organizational Justice and Organizational Trust. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 47, pp. 1622-1626. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2012.06.873
Bies, R. J., & Moag, J. F. (1986). Interactional Justice: Communication Criteria of Fairness. Research on negotiation in organizations, 01, pp. 43–55.
Bock, L. (2015). Work Rules!: Insights from inside Google that will transform how we live and lead. Twelve.
Brion, S., Mo, R., & Lount Jr., R. B. (2019). Dynamic influences of power on trust: Changes in power affect trust in others. Journal of Trust Research, 09(01), pp. 6–27. https://doi.org/10.1080/21515581.2018.1552591
Cameron, K. S. (2011). Diagnosing and Changing Organizational Culture: Based on the Competing Values Framework (3rd ed.). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Chen, S.-Y., Wu, W.-C., Chang, C.-S., Lin, C.-T., Kung, J.-Y., Weng, H.-C., . . . Lee, S.-I. (2015, 09 07). Organizational justice, trust, and identification affect organizational commitment in hospital nursing staff. BMC health services research, 15, pp. 1-17. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-015-1016-8
Chin, W. W. (1998, 03). Commentary: Issues and Opinions on Structural Equation Modeling. MIS Quarterly, 22(01), pp. 07–16.
Chughtai, A., Byrne, M., & Flood, B. (2015). Linking ethical leadership to employee well-being: The role of trust in a supervisor. Journal of Business Ethics, 128, pp. 653–663. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-014-2126-7
Cohen, J. (1988). Statistical Power Analysis for the Behavioral Sciences, 2nd Edition. New York: Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203771587
Colquitt, J. A., Conlon, D. E., Wesson, M. J., Porter, C. O., & Ng, K. Y. (2001). Justice at the Millennium: A meta-analytic review of 25 years of organizational justice research. Journal of Applied Psychology, 86(03), pp. 425–445. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.86.3.425
Cropanzano, R., Bowen, D. E., & Gilliland, S. W. (2007). The management of organizational justice. Academy of Management Perspectives, 21(04), pp. 34–48. https://doi.org/10.5465/AMP.2007.27895338
Cropanzano, R., Byrne, Z. S., Bobocel, D. R., & Rupp, D. E. (2001). Moral Virtues, Fairness Heuristics, Social Entities, and Other Denizens of Organizational Justice. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 58(02), pp. 164–209. https://doi.org/10.1006/jvbe.2001.1791
Di Battista, S., Pivetti, M., & Berti, C. (2020). Competence and Benevolence as Dimensions of Trust: Lecturers' Trustworthiness in the Words of Italian Students. Behavioral Sciences, 10(09), p. 143. https://doi.org/10.3390/bs10090143
Dirks, K. T., & Ferrin, D. L. (2002, 08 01). The Role of Trust in Organizational Settings. Organization Science, 12(04), pp. 450–467. https://doi.org/10.1287/orsc.12.4.450.10640
Dirks, K. T., & Ferrin, D. L. (2002). Trust in leadership: meta-analytic findings and implications for research and practice. Journal of Applied Psychology, 87(04), pp. 611–628. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.87.4.611
Edmondson, A. (1999, 06). Psychological Safety and Learning Behavior in Work Teams. Administrative Science Quarterly, 44(02), pp. 350–383. https://doi.org/10.2307/2666999
Ellen, M. W. (1997). The impact of human resource activities on employee trust. Human Resource Management Review, 07(04), pp. 389–404. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1053-4822(97)90026-7
Erikson, E. H. (1963). Childhood and Society (Vol. 2). New York: Norton. https://doi.org/10.30965/9783657768387_048
Folger, R., & Konovsky, M. A. (1989). Effects of Procedural and Distributive Justice on Reactions to Pay Raise Decisions. Academy of Management Journal, 32(01), pp. 115-130.
Fornell, C., & Larcker, D. F. (1981, 02). Evaluating structural equation models with unobservable variables and measurement error. Journal of Marketing Research, 18(01), pp. 39–50. https://doi.org/10.1177/002224378101800104
Greenberg, J. (1987). A taxonomy of organizational justice theories. Academy of Management Review, 12(01), pp. 09–22. https://doi.org/10.5465/amr.1987.4306437
Greenberg, J. (1990, 06). Organizational Justice: Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow. Journal of Management, 16(02), pp. 399–432. https://doi.org/10.1177/014920639001600208
Greenberg, J., & Baron, R. A. (1997). Behavior in organizations: understanding and managing the human side of work. Prentice Hall.
Hair, J. F., Black, W. C., Babin, B. J., & Anderson, R. E. (2013). Multivariate data analysis. Pearson New International Edition PDF eBook: Pearson Higher Ed.
Hair, J. F., Hult, G. T., Ringle, C. M., & Sarstedt, M. (2017). A Primer on Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) (2nd Edition ed.). Thousand Oaks, California: Sage Publications Inc.
Hair, J. F., Risher, J. J., Sarstedt, M., & Ringle, C. M. (2019, 01). When to Use and How to Report the Results of PLS-SEM. European Business Review, 31(01), pp. 02-24. https://doi.org/10.1108/EBR-11-2018-0203
Henseler, J., Ringle, C. M., & Sarstedt, M. (2015). A new criterion for assessing discriminant validity in variance-based structural equation modeling. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 43, pp. 115-135. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11747-014-0403-8
Hosmer, L. T. (1995, 04). Trust: The connecting link between organizational theory and philosophical ethics. Academy of Management Review, 20(02), pp. 379-403. https://doi.org/10.5465/amr.1995.9507312923
Hoy, W. K., & Tschannen-Moran, M. (1999). Five faces of trust: An empirical confirmation in urban elementary schools. Journal of School Leadership, 09(03), pp. 184-208. https://doi.org/10.1177/105268469900900301
Hubbell, A. P., & Chory‐Assad, R. M. (2005). Motivating factors: perceptions of justice and their relationship with managerial and organizational trust. Communication Studies, 56(01), pp. 47–70. https://doi.org/10.1080/0008957042000332241
Hupcey, J. E., Penrod, J., Morse, J. M., & Mitcham, C. (2001). Exploration and advancement of the concept of trust. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 36(02), pp. 282–293. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-2648.2001.01970.x
Intel. (2024, 08). Annual Reports 2021. Retrieved from Intel: https://www.intc.com/filings-reports/annual-reports
Judge, T. A., & Bono, J. E. (2001, 02). Relationship of core self-evaluation traits—self-esteem, generalized self-efficacy, locus of control, and emotional stability—with job satisfaction and job performance: A meta-analysis. Journal of Applied Psychology, 86(01), pp. 80–92. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.86.1.80
Kramer, R. M. (1999). Trust and distrust in organizations: Emerging perspectives, enduring questions. Annual Review of Psychology, 50(01), pp. 569-598. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.psych.50.1.569
Lance Frazier, M., Johnson, P. D., Gavin, M., Gooty, J., & Bradley Snow, D. (2010). Organizational Justice, Trustworthiness, and Trust: A Multifoci Examination. Group & Organization Management, 35(01), pp. 39–76. https://doi.org/10.1177/1059601109354801
Leventhal, G. S. (1980). What should be done with equity theory? New approaches to the study of fairness in social relationships. In Social Exchange: Advances in Theory and Research, pp. 27–55. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4613-3087-5_2
Luhmann, N. (2018). Trust and Power. John Wiley & Sons.
Mayer, R. C., Davis, J. H., & Schoorman, F. D. (1995). An Integrative Model of Organizational Trust. Academy of Management Review, 20(03), pp. 709–734. https://doi.org/10.5465/amr.1995.9508080335
McAllister, D. J. (2017, 11). Affect- and cognition-based trust as foundations for interpersonal cooperation in organizations. Academy of Management Journal, 38(01), pp. 24–59. https://doi.org/10.5465/256727
Microsoft. (2024, 08). Annual Reports 2023. Retrieved from: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/Investor/annual-reports.aspx
Newell, S., & Swan, J. (2000). Trust and inter-organizational networking. Human Relations, 53(10), pp. 1287–1328. https://doi.org/10.1177/a014106
Newton, K. (2001, 04). Trust, social capital, civil society, and democracy. International Political Science Review, 22(02), pp. 201–214. https://doi.org/10.1177/0192512101222004
Niehoff, B. P., & Moorman, R. H. (1993). Justice as a Mediator of the Relationship Between Monitoring Methods and Organizational Citizenship Behavior. Academy of Management Journal, 36(03), pp. 527-556. https://doi.org/10.5465/256591
Nienaber, A.-M., Romeike, P. D., Searle, R., & Schewe, G. (2015). A qualitative meta-analysis of trust in supervisor-subordinate relationships. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 30(05), pp. 507-534. https://doi.org/10.1108/JMP-06-2013-0187
Organ, D. W. (1988). Organizational Citizenship Behavior: The Good Soldier Syndrome. Lexington Books/DC Health and Com.
Ouchi, W. G., & Price, R. L. (1978). Hierarchies, clans, and theory Z: A new perspective on organization development. Organizational Dynamics, 07(02), pp. 25–44. https://doi.org/10.1016/0090-2616(78)90036-0
Panteli, N., & Tucker, R. (2009, 12). Power and Trust in Global Virtual Teams. Communications of the ACM, 52(12), pp. 113–115. https://doi.org/10.1145/1610252.1610282
Robinson, S. L. (1996, 09). Trust and Breach of the Psychological Contract. Administrative Science Quarterly (41), pp. 574-599. https://doi.org/10.2307/2393868
Sarstedt, M., Ringle, C. M., & Hair, J. F. (2021). Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling in Handbook of Market Research. Cham: Springer International Publishing, pp. 587–632.
Saunders, M., & Thornhill, A. (2004). Trust and mistrust in organizations: An exploration using an organizational justice framework. European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 13(04), pp. 493-515. https://doi.org/10.1080/13594320444000182
Solinas-Saunders, M., Lambert, E. G., Haynes, S. H., Haynes, L. D., Leone, M. C., & May, D. C. (2024). The Association between Organizational Justice and Organizational Trust among Correctional Staff. Criminal Justice and Behavior, 51(05), pp. 707–723. https://doi.org/10.1177/00938548241232227
Thibaut, J. W., & Walker, L. (1975). Procedural justice: A psychological analysis. Inc., John Wiley & Sons.
Tyler, T. R., Callahan, P. E., & Frost, J. (2007, 05). Armed and Dangerous (?): Motivating Rule Adherence Among Agents of Social Control. Law & Society Review, 41(02), pp. 457–492. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-5893.2007.00304.x
Wiseman, J., & Stillwell, A. (2022). Organizational Justice: Typology, Antecedents, and Consequences. Encyclopedia, 02(03), pp. 1287-1295. https://doi.org/10.3390/encyclopedia2030086
Wu, M., Huang, X., Li, C., & Liu, W. (2012). Perceived Interactional Justice and Trust-in-Supervisor as Mediators for Paternalistic Leadership. Management and organization review, 08(01: Special Issue), pp. 97-121. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1740-8784.2011.00283.x
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Journal of Organizational Behavior Studies

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Accepted 2025-10-16
Published 2025-12-30