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Organizational justice research has become the main paradigm of research in the field of HRM. The purpose of this paper is to outline a number of underlying challenges to which this paradigm is ill-suited. It broadens the traditional understanding of what is meant by fairness within the HRM literature to help explain how justice judgements are formed and may be used to influence societal-level fairness processes. It develops a framework to aid the understanding of the fairness of decisions that individuals or organizations make.

The paper presents a conceptual review of the main paradigms used in fairness research. It draws upon the organizational justice literature as the dominant paradigm in HRM research, and conducts a cross-disciplinary review that introduces a range of theories less frequently used by HRM researchers – specifically capability theory, game theory, tournament theory, equity sensitivity theory, theories of intergenerational equity, and burden sharing. It demonstrates the relevance of these theories to a number of areas of organizational effectiveness.

The paper shows that researchers are now augmenting the organizational justice research paradigm under two important pressures – awareness of hidden structures that preclude the option for real fairness; and new variables that are being added to the consideration of organizational justice.

HR functions have invested significant resources in employee engagement or insight units, but if their policies trigger significant inequality of outcomes, perceived problems of justice, a lack of burden sharing, no sense proportionality, organizations may not be able to achieve other important HR strategies such as sustaining and deepening employee engagement, developing organizational advocacy, building an employer brand, or being seen to have authenticity in its values. The framework suggests a broadened educational base for HR practitioners around fairness. It also suggests that there may be complex employees segments concerning perceptions of fairness.

The cross-disciplinary perspective taken on fairness helps deconstruct the judgements that employees likely make, enabling organizations and individuals alike to ask more critical questions about their respective behaviour.

Human Resource Practices (HRPs) have undergone a revolutionary change, with their practices being more strategic for facilitating the change process. Extant literature studies the impact of Lean Thinking Practices (LTPs) on Organizational Performance (OP). However, the role of HRP as a strategic partner in the inculcation of LTP appears to have been explored sparingly. Hence, this paper aims to identify the specific HRPs that enhance the impact of Lean Thinking on OP.

A cross-sectional survey method was adopted. A total of 528 responses from IT organizations across various levels and processes were collected. The proposed conceptual framework was tested and validated SPSS-Process Macro.

Findings revealed that the presence of HRPs as moderators is significantly impacting the relationship between LTP and OP. LTP when moderated by HRPs significantly impacts employee well-being when compared to other performance variables.

This study is a maiden attempt to study the role of HRP in the inculcation of LTP in IT organizations. Earlier studies, which have mainly concentrated on the need for Human Resource (people) involvement, have spoken and researched less about the specific HRPs in the inculcation of LTP. An empirically validated specific HRP for inculcating LTP in IT organizations is a significant contribution.