Affirmative action programs: An organizational justice perspective

Affirmative Action Programs (AAPs) are becoming increasingly common in the workplace. Typically their effectiveness has been assessed by the number of women and minorities hired and promoted. A neglected, but important measure of effectiveness is how AAPs are perceived by employees, When employees perceive that AAPs violate notions of fairness, negative attitudes and behaviors may occur and lead to decreased organizational performance. A model of perceived AAP fairness is presented using an organizational justice perspective, An initial (partial) test of the model is conducted and avenues for future research are discussed.