Public Safety Insights Newsletter: January 29, 2014

The Power of Procedural Fairness
Public Safety Insight:	People will accept even undesirable outcomes if they believe that the process used to arrive at those results is fair.

Leaders constantly have to make tough decisions that result in outcomes over which they have little or no control, such as when they must allocate scarce resources. Often those results seem unfair, or they have consequences that neither the leaders nor their employees like. The good news is that while leaders may not be able to control the outcomes of many decisions, they CAN control the process by which they make those decisions – i.e., its procedural fairness. This point is important: research and experience show that people will accept even undesirable outcomes IF they perceive that the processes used to arrive at those results are fair.

For example, let’s say there is funding for only one person to attend an outside training program that will provide an advantage for future promotions, and there are three equally well qualified members who want to attend. Two of those individuals will be disappointed. However, if all three knew in advance the decision-making criteria, if they perceived that the decision process was transparent and free of bias, and if there had been an opportunity for them to provide meaningful input, then they will accept the outcome because the process was fair.

Perceptions of procedural fairness have implications for important workplace attitudes and behaviors. For example, compared to employees who see decision-making processes as unfair, those who perceive them as fair are more likely to go above and beyond what their jobs require, perform at a higher level, and trust decision-makers. The agency benefits as well: employees who perceive decision-making processes are fair are more satisfied with their jobs, committed to the organization, forgiving of workplace disappointments, and likely to contribute to organizational change than their counterparts who believe they are unfair.

Procedural fairness has many applications to decision-making in the workplace. Examples include decisions related to making promotions, developing and implementing professional standards, effecting organizational change, addressing disciplinary issues, and engaging in teamwork. There are many opportunities every day for leaders to realize the benefits of procedurally fair decision processes.

In short, fairness of the decision-making process is critical to the legitimacy of decisions as well as employees’ acceptance of them. Ensuring that employees perceive decisions as procedurally fair literally can transform your workplace from one in which complaints, distrust, cynicism, and dissatisfaction are common, to one in which employees take disappointments in stride and continue to contribute positively to the agency. As a leader, you have the power to shape your employees’ behaviors in a positive way or a negative way. Which outcome do you choose for your agency?

To learn seven steps you can take to ensure that your agency’s decision-making processes are perceived as fair, take a look at our article Ensuring Procedurally Fair Decision-making Processes.

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To find other articles and resources that may be of value to you, I invite you to visit my web site at www.PublicSafetyInsights.net.

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©2014 Pat Lynch | Public Safety Insights