Mats Liljegren

The associations between perceived distributive, procedural, and interactional organizational justice, self-rated health and burnout

AIM The aim of the present study was to examine the cross-sectional and 2-year longitudinal associations between perceived organizational justice, self-rated health and burnout. METHODS The study used questionnaire data from 428 Swedish employment officers and the data was analyzed with Structural Equation Modeling, SEM. Two different models were tested: a global organizational justice model (with and without correlated measurement errors) and a differentiated (distributive, procedural and interactional organizational justice) justice model (with and without correlated measurement errors). RESULTS The global justice model with autocorrelations had the most satisfactory goodness-of-fit indices. Global justice showed statistically significant (p < 0.01) cross-sectional (0.80 {mle 0.84) and longitudinal positive associations (0.76 mle 0.82) between organizational justice and self-rated health, and significant (p < 0.01) negative associations between organizational justice and burnout (cross-sectional: mle = -0.85, longitudinal -0.83 mle -0.84). CONCLUSION The global justice construct showed better goodness-of-fit indices than the threefold justice construct but a differentiated organizational justice concept could give valuable information about health related risk factors: if they are structural (distributive justice), procedural (procedural justice) or inter-personal (interactional justice). The two approaches to study organizational justice should therefore be regarded as complementary rather than exclusive.

The longitudinal relationship between job mobility, perceived organizational justice, and health

BackgroundThe main purpose of the present study was to examine the 2-year longitudinal and reciprocal relationship between job mobility and health and burnout. A second aim was to elucidate the effects of perceived organizational justice and turnover intentions on the relationship between job mobility (non-, internally and externally mobile), and health (SF-36) and burnout (CBI).MethodsThe study used questionnaire data from 662 Swedish civil servants and the data were analysed with Structural Equation Modeling statistical methods.ResultsThe results showed that job mobility was a better predictor of health and burnout, than health and burnout were as predictors of job mobility. The predictive effects were most obvious for psychosocial health and burnout, but negligible as far as physical health was concerned. Organizational justice was found to have a direct impact on health, but not on job mobility; whereas turnover intentions had a direct effect on job mobility.ConclusionThe predictive relationship between job mobility and health has practical implications for health promotive actions in different organizations.

Psychometric evaluation and further validation of the Hagedoorn et al. modified EVLN measure

The aim of the present study was to evaluate and further validate a modified Exit, Voice, Loyalty and Neglect (EVLN) instrument (Hagedoorn, Van Yperen, Van de Vliert & Buunk, 1999), in a Swedish sample (n= 792). To test the underlying scaling assumptions, the convergent and divergent validity, a multitrait/multi-item analysis was conducted and factor analyses were used to evaluate the factor structure. The concurrent validity was tested by using the modified EVLN instrument as predictor and three different forms of justice as criteria in the analysis. The criterion-related validity was tested and an association between exit behavioral response and actual exit behavior was found (predictive validity). The results showed that the instrument may be considered to be a valid measure with the exception of the aggressive voice scale.

Job mobility as predictor of health and burnout

A few earlier studies have shown that employees turnover intentions and job mobility simultaneously could affect health and burnout. The present study investigated the cross-sectional, 2-year long ...

The importance of work conditions and health for voluntary job mobility: a two-year follow-up

BackgroundChanging jobs is part of modern working life. Within occupational health, job mobility has mainly been studied in terms of employees’ intentions to leave their jobs. In contrast to actual turnover, turnover intentions are not definite and only reflect the probability that an individual will change job. The aim of this study was to determine what work conditions predict voluntary job mobility and to examine if good health or burnout predicts voluntary job mobility.MethodsThe study was based on questionnaire data from 792 civil servants. The data were analysed using logistic regressions.ResultsLow variety and high autonomy were associated with increased voluntary job mobility. However, the associations between health and voluntary job mobility did not reach significance. Possible explanations for the null results may be that the population was homogeneous, and that the instruments for measuring global health are too coarse for a healthy, working population.ConclusionsVoluntary job mobility may be predicted by high autonomy and low variety. The former may reflect that individuals with high autonomy have stronger career development motives; the latter may reflect the fact that low variety leads to job dissatisfaction. In contrast to our results on job content, global health measurements are not strong predictors of voluntary job mobility. This may be because good health affects job mobility through several offsetting channels, involving the resources and ability to seek a new job. Future work should use more detailed measurements of health or examine other work settings so that we may learn more about which of the offsetting effects of health dominate in different contexts.

Upplevelser av rättvisa och individuella handlingsmönster i samband med organisations-förändringar

Liljegren, M; Edvardsson-Stiwne, E. & Ekberg, K. (2003): Perception of justice and individual reactions in a context of organisational change. Nordisk Psykologi, 55, 309–322. The aim of the present study was to examine the interaction between individual perceptions of justice and behavioural actions during an organisational change process. The empirical material consisted of semi-structured interviews with 9 middle managers, working in a Swedish local government organisation. This organisation had recently accomplished a major organisational change. One result showed that individuals that experienced the change as procedural and distributive unfair tended to act in many different ways: they were loyal to the organisation but they also protested or tried to reduce the managements control over their work. The individuals that perceived the organisational change as procedural unfair but distributive fair tended to act either with loyalty or with withdrawal. The individuals that perceived the process as procedural and distributive fair acted more homogeneous: with loyalty to their organisation and management. In organisational change processes it is of particular importance to pay attention to procedural aspects.