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Absolute vs Relative Performance Rating Formats: Implications for fairness and organizational justice
Author(s) -
Roch Sylvia G.,
Sternburgh Angela M.,
Caputo Pat M.
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
international journal of selection and assessment
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.812
H-Index - 61
eISSN - 1468-2389
pISSN - 0965-075X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1468-2389.2007.00390.x
Subject(s) - psychology , distributive justice , economic justice , organizational justice , absolute (philosophy) , perception , procedural justice , social psychology , performance appraisal , applied psychology , organizational commitment , economics , management , microeconomics , philosophy , epistemology , neuroscience
The choice of performance rating format may influence employees' fairness perceptions. Participants in two studies, one consisting of 208 participants and the other of 393 participants, evaluated the fairness of common relative and absolute rating formats. The participants in the second study also evaluated the fairness of two rating formats, one absolute and one relative, presented in organizational contexts of varying procedural and distributive justice. Results indicate that not only are absolute formats perceived as more fair than relative formats, but differences in fairness perceptions also occur among relative and absolute formats. Furthermore, it appears that rating format influences procedural justice, especially when outcomes are perceived as fair. Implications for organizations' appraisal practices are discussed.