Influence of Speed of Third-Party Intervention and Outcome on Negotiator and Constituent Fairness Judgments

Abstract

Using a simulated organizational dispute, we tested the impact of a third-party's intervention on disputants' perceptions of procedural and distributive justice and satisfaction with the third party. We manipulated disputants' roles in the negotiation, the speed of third-party intervention, and the outcome imposed by the third party in a two-by-two-by-five factorial design. The results suggest that the speed of third-party intervention influenced perceptions of procedures more than perceptions of outcomes. Speed of intervention also influenced disputants differently depending on their role. Outcome influenced all measures of procedural and distributive fairness. We discuss implications for managerial behavior in dispute resolution and consequences for the measurement of procedural justice.