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Extending Evidence for Inter-Individual Differences in Social Comparison Orientation to Pay Fairness Evaluations
Kimberly K Merriman1, Atthaphon Mumi2, Lauren A Turner3
1Manning School of Business, University of Massachusetts Lowell, Lowell, MA, USA.
Psychological Reports
|May 21, 2019
Summary
Individuals with a higher social comparison orientation perceive pay fairness differently. This trait significantly impacts how people evaluate their compensation relative to others.
Area of Science:
- Organizational Behavior
- Social Psychology
Background:
- Social comparison is a key factor influencing perceptions of fairness.
- Limited research exists on social comparison tendencies as a moderator of pay fairness.
Purpose of the Study:
- To adapt a social comparison orientation measure for pay contexts.
- To examine the link between social comparison and pay fairness perceptions.
- To investigate how social comparison influences reactions to pay equity, over-reward, and under-reward.
Main Methods:
- Three studies with five data collections were conducted.
- A measure of social comparison orientation was adapted and validated for pay.
- Experimental designs assessed the impact of social comparison on fairness evaluations.
Main Results:
- Social comparison orientation showed individual variation and stability.
- Individuals with higher social comparison orientation reported heightened perceptions of distributive fairness.
- Socially relative pay information had a greater impact on fairness evaluations for those high in social comparison.
Conclusions:
- Social comparison orientation is a valid individual difference variable influencing pay fairness perceptions.
- This research highlights the importance of individual predispositions in understanding reactions to pay.
- Findings offer a distinct perspective from situational factors in social comparison research.
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