An expanded model of deontic justice: Delineating pathways for changed & secondary deontic responses

Abstract: In this paper, we provide a framework for thinking about how context modifies observers’ reactions toward initial instances of injustice and how related, but separate, instances of injustice (i.e., secondary injustices) emerge. In doing so, we introduce, and provide conceptual distinction between, the concepts of changed deontic responses and secondary deontic responses. The former provides an explanation for how an initial deontic response might change based on context while the latter accounts for deontic reactions toward multiple, and sometimes compounding, instances of injustice. In addition, we unite current work on third-party reactions under a single conceptual framework. Considerations for how managers should respond to organizational injustice based on the target of injustice and based on characteristics of the third party are discussed.

Keywords: deontic justice, third parties, organizational (in)justice