The impact of organizational justice on career satisfaction of employees in the public sector of South Korea

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between organizational justice and career satisfaction of employees in the public sector of South Korea. Specifically, this study aimed to investigate the impact of three different dimensions (distributive, procedural, and interactional justice) of organizational justice on career satisfaction. Based on a literature review of previous research, this study hypothesized that employees' perceptions of organizational justice are positively associated with career satisfaction. This study contributed to human resource development (HRD) through investigating the direct relationship between organizational justice and career satisfaction in a career development context in the workplace. A total of 279 employees in six public organizations in South Korea participated in this research. Based on a convenience sampling approach, a self-administered survey was used to obtain these employees' perceptions. All four constructs (distributive justice, procedural justice, interactional justice, and career satisfaction) were based on multi-item scales. A total of 23 items (18 items for organizational justice and five items for career satisfaction) were prepared for use in a survey in South Korea. The data analysis process of this study followed three steps. First, the construct validity of each measurement model was examined by Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA). Second, the descriptive statistics and correlations were reported. Third, a hierarchical multiple regression was tested to identify the impact of three dimensions of organizational justice on career satisfaction. While distributive justice and procedural justice were found to be significant, interactional justice was found to be non-significant. In terms of standardized coefficients, procedural justice accounted for the variance in career satisfaction more than distributive justice did.The findings of this study were discussed in detail, comparing them with previous research. The primary theoretical implication of this study lies in investigating three dimensions of organizational justice as the antecedents of career satisfaction within a study in order to integrate organizational justice and career development research. HRD practitioners should facilitate fair decision-making processes and provide various career development opportunities to improve employees' career satisfaction in the organization. The limitations of this study and recommendations for future research were also discussed