The Importance of Organizational Justice in Promotion Decisions

A study of 139 managers and executives in the Italian subsidiary of a large multinational organization in the chemical industry is used to examine whether perceived organizational justice can offset the negative career effects of limited promotions, such that the organization can retain effective managers who did not reach the highest levels in the hierarchy and keep them committed and satisfied. We tested hypotheses based on a main-effect and an integrative model of the effects of organizational justice on organizationa l commitment, intent to stay, and career satisfaction. Results showed that if organizations want to keep effective managers motivated, committed and willing to stay they need to pay attention to different components of perceived organizational justice and in particular to perceived career procedural justice.