organizational justice 2.pdf

Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes 110 (2009) 129–139Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes journal homepage: www.elsevier .com/ locate/obhdpExploring the neural basis of fairness: A model of neuro-organizational justice Constant D. Beugré * Delaware State University, College of Business, 1200 N. Dupont Hwy, Dover, DE 19901, USAa r t i c l e i n f o Article history: Received 29 July 2008 Accepted 28 June 2009 Available online 3 August 2009 Accepted by Dr. Scott Shane Keywords: C-system Fairness Fairness theory of mind Neuro-organizational justice Neuroeconomics Organizational justice X-system0749-5978/$ - see front matter  2009 Elsevier Inc. A doi:10.1016/j.obhdp.2009.06.005 * Fax: +1 302 857 6927. E-mail address: cbeugre@a b s t r a c t Drawing from the literature in neuroeconomics, organizational justice, and social cognitive neuroscience, I propose a model of neuro-organizational justice that explores the role of the brain in how people form fairness judgments and react to situations of fairness and/or unfairness in organizations. The model inte- grates three levels of analysis: (a) behavioral, (b) mental (cognitive and emotional), and (c) neural. The behavioral level deals with motivated actions displayed by the individual; the mental level deals with information processing mechanisms and emotional arousal; and the neural level concerns the brain sys- tems instantiating mental processes. The paper also describes a fairness theory of mind that could help managers improve their ability to create fair working environments. The model’s implications for further research and management practice are discussed.  2009 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.This paper draws from three streams of research: social cogni- tive neuroscience (e.g., Lieberman, 2000, 2007; Lieberman, Gaunt, Gilbert, Trope, 2002; Ochsner Lieberman, 2001), neuroeco- nomics (e.g., Camerer, 2007; Camerer, Loewenstein, Prelec,