Unfairness begets unfairness: Victim derogation bias in employee ratings

Daniel P. Skarlicki and R. Anthony Turner

Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 2014, vol. 124, issue 1, 34-46

Abstract: This research investigated criterion contamination in human resource evaluations, specifically victim derogation in which third parties (e.g., managers, co-workers) systematically undervalue the performance and potential of individuals who have previously suffered organizational injustices. A policy capturing design (Study 1) found that managers rated job applicants who had been treated unfairly by their previous employers as less suitable than fairly treated applicants, after objective performance information was controlled. In Study 2, the effect of unfair treatment on job applicant ratings was found to be moderated by managers’ just world beliefs, with applicant ratings reflecting more derogation among managers with higher (vs. lower) Belief in a Just World. In Study 3, the pattern of results from Study 2 was replicated in a performance evaluation context using peers as raters. Moreover, in Study 3 an intervention that activated raters’ moral identity was found to attenuate victim derogation bias.

Keywords: Organizational justice; Victim derogation; Belief in a just world; Moral identity; Judgment bias; Criterion contamination; Human resource management (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2014
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (5)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:jobhdp:v:124:y:2014:i:1:p:34-46

DOI: 10.1016/j.obhdp.2013.11.004

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