The Moderating Role of Organizational Justice on the Relationship Between Age, Locus of Control and Employee Outcomes

Abstract

The Public sector in Kenya is the single largest employer whose employees are scattered among the local government, the civil service, the judiciary, various government ministries and parastatals (public corporations). This study was done among select public corporations with representation from the eight sectors which comprise the public corporations. The main purpose of the study was to investigate the moderating effect of organizational justice on the relationship between employee age, locus of control and employee outcomes. A descriptive cross-sectional survey design was used in conducting the study. The data for this study were taken from a total of thirteen public sector organizations which are engaged in service provision and manufacturing. 384 respondents were selected and issued with questionnaires, 181 were returned and used for the analyses. In general, the results of the study indicated that organizational justice moderated this relationship. When employees perceived fairness in the organization they were more satisfied, committed and trusting towards the employer. Employers need to take into consideration issues of fairness in distribution and procedures when dealing with their employees. A practical contribution of this study is the implications that locus of control is significantly related to organizational justice and knowing an employee’s personality can help managers understand implications for decisions impinging on justice in the organization.