The Role of Justification in Organizational and Interpersonal Communication

Abstract: The process of justification, in which a communicator acknowledges the purpose behind their actions, is a common practice in interpersonal communication processes. Despite receiving considerable attention in management literature, developments regarding the consequences of this practice on organizational and interpersonal outcomes are still burgeoning. The five papers in this symposium aim to contribute novel insight to this literature. This symposium highlights the role of justification on socially impactful outcomes with clear practical implications for organizations and individuals. The first set of papers delve into organizational approaches to leveraging justification. The first talk demonstrates potential benefits for managers to use justification to improve organizational justice and citizenship behavior. The second talk explores a potential downside of justification, in leading hiring managers to make suboptimal decisions. The third talk highlights the key conditions by which honesty pledges can reduce unethical behavior by disrupting the justification for dishonesty. The final two papers turn to interpersonal contexts, with implications for justification to enhance perceived authenticity, and to potentially distract from one’s ability to effectively express compassion. The papers in this session highlight the benefits and consequences of justification in organizational and interpersonal contexts, shedding valuable light on how people and organizations can better align their communication approaches with their goals.

Keywords: justification; communication; honesty; justice; authenticity