Differences in the moderating role of supervisors’ and subordinates’ cognition on distributive justice in the relationship between psychological contract and organizational identification

INTRODUCTION: In the process of social exchange between employees and organizations, psychological contract, organizational identification, and cognition on distributive justice are closely related and have a common psychological basis, that is, the reciprocity of exchange. The question of how a sense of fairness can affect employees’ psychology and behavior has attracted the attention of scholars and managers. METHODS: The predictive role of psychological contract on organizational identification and the moderating role of supervisors’ and subordinates’ cognition on distributive justice in it were investigated. A paired sample of 133 supervisors and 437 direct reports collected from private service-based SMEs was analyzed through structural equation modeling. RESULTS: (1) relational psychological contract had a positive predictive effect on organizational identification and transactional psychological contract had a negative predictive effect on organizational identification; (2) subordinates’ cognition on distributive justice played a moderating role in the prediction of psychological contract to organizational identification, and supervisor’s cognition on distributive justice on subordinate’s psychological contract and organizational identification did not reach a significant level. DISCUSSION: This indicates that there was a significant difference between supervisors’ and subordinates’ cognition on distributive justice.