Managing Justly Across Cultures: The Problem of Fairness in International Business

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to examine the relationships between organizational justice and the factors that characterize cultural differences. This paper begins by briefly summarizing the nature of organizational justice and by identifying how justice is perceived. Hofstede’s five factors of cultural dimension model, which he developed in his seminal 1980 research on national cultures, is utilized to present characteristics of cultural differences. Ten propositions are then offered which relate to organizational justice and differences in cultural perspectives.  These propositions suggest specific management approaches that organizational leaders can adopt to be more effective in dealing with employees from respective cultures. This paper concludes by identifying the importance of understanding the relationship between organizational justice and national culture and suggests research opportunities of benefit to both scholars and practitioners.