Tomasz Prusiński, Stanisław Burdziej and Michał Główczewski
The aim of the study was to determine the predictive power of two relational factors, procedural justice and legitimacy, against the well-being of patients receiving medical care.
Abstract
Purpose
The aim of the study was to determine the predictive power of two relational factors, procedural justice and legitimacy, against the well-being of patients receiving medical care.
Design/methodology/approach
The study sample consisted of 590 patients in treatment for somatic conditions in hospital outpatient clinics. The study was conducted in a correlational scheme. Subjects evaluated their relationship with their chosen doctor. In order to verify the hypotheses, SEM was carried out.
Findings
The relationship effect was noted. Procedural justice was a significant and positive predictor of psychological well-being, while distributive justice, i.e. time and money invested by the patient in their treatment, was not. The perceived legitimacy of the doctor was not a significant predictor of the psychological well-being of their patient. The relationship between the experience of procedural justice and psychological well-being was serially mediated by patients’ perceived physician legitimacy and perceived life satisfaction.
Originality/value
Relational factors shape treatment outcomes operationalized by patients’ subjective sense of well-being. Fair patient handling is a predictor of positive treatment outcomes.
Details
Keywords
Stanisław Burdziej, Rafał Haffer, Anna Moszyńska and Arkadiusz Karwacki
Previous research has demonstrated that the experience of fair treatment (organizational justice) motivates workers to accept their leaders’ decisions, even when these decisions…
Abstract
Purpose
Previous research has demonstrated that the experience of fair treatment (organizational justice) motivates workers to accept their leaders’ decisions, even when these decisions are viewed as unfavorable. We aim at extending these findings by testing for mediating effects of the perceived impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the organization as a particular example of a hindering external condition. We expected that employees’ perception of management response to the pandemic would partly mediate the effect of organizational fairness on employee compliance.
Design/methodology/approach
In Study 1 we surveyed a nationally representative (N = 1,001) sample of employees. In Study 2 we used a representative sample (N = 250) of those workers who were laid off during the pandemic.
Findings
We show that an organization’s perceived ability to adapt to the pandemic partly mediated the relationship between organizational justice and acceptance of management decisions. Employees who were treated fairly were more ready to accept management decisions and viewed their organization as better prepared for hindering external conditions such as COVID-19. Their perceptions of organization’s ability to adapt partly mediated the effect of organizational justice on decision acceptance.
Originality/value
Our study is among the first to identify a link between organizational fairness and organizational adaptation. We show that employees perceive fair organizations as better prepared for external shocks.