Equity, Equality, Power, and Conflict

Abstract

Although equity theory has dominated the conception of justice in organizational relations, equality also shapes justice expectations and behaviors. Therefore, there are two basic and, in principle, inevitable pressures toward conflict: (a) one stems from equity violations and results in overt conflict involving attempts to restore justice and (b) the other stems from equality violations and results in nondirected conflict that is symptomatic of decreased social cohesiveness. Power shapes distributive orientations, and, therefore, it is an important determinant of conflict pressures. A framework linking distributive justice principles, power, and conflict is advanced and used to suggest a new perspective on issues of organizational strategy.