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Distributive justice, job stress, and turnover intention: Cross-level effects of empowerment climate in work groups

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 December 2013

Byoung Kwon Choi ,
Hyoung Koo Moon ,
Eun Young Nae  and
Wook Ko
Byoung Kwon Choi
Affiliation:
Division of Business Administration, College of Business, Sangmyung University, Seoul, South Korea
Hyoung Koo Moon
Affiliation:
Korea University Business School, Korea University, Anam-Dong, Seongbuk-Gu, Seoul, South Korea
Eun Young Nae
Affiliation:
Carlson School of Management, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
Wook Ko*
Affiliation:
LG Electronics Inc., Culture Team, Cheongho-ri, Jinwi-myeon, Pyeongtaek-si, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea
*
Corresponding author: jrpfeffer@smu.ac.kr
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Abstract

This paper, with its multilevel design including 90 work groups in South Korea, proposes and examines how distributive justice relates to job stress, and thus leading to turnover intention at the individual level, and how this relationship is affected by empowerment climate at the group level. The results of hierarchical linear modeling show that employees’ perception of distributive justice was negatively related to job stress. We also find that job stress partially mediated the influence of distributive justice on turnover intention. In addition, at the work group level, the empowerment climate decreased employees’ job stress, and the negative relationship between distributive justice and job stress at the individual level was moderated by the empowerment climate. The theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

Keywords

distributive justicejob stressturnover intentionempowerment climate
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Management & Organization , Volume 19 , Issue 3 , May 2013 , pp. 279 - 296
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press and Australian and New Zealand Academy of Management 2013 

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