Effective Joint Consultative Committees: An exploration of the role of Trust and Justice

Abstract

This thesis investigates Joint Consultative Committees’ (JCCs) effectiveness perceptions among its participants and the role of trust and justice on these perceptions.
A two-year mixed-methods longitudinal study of JCC participants in two organizations (a Housing Association and a Professional Services firm) was carried out. Results from statistical analysis highlight a positive significant relationship between trust, justice and JCC outcomes (JCC performance, JCC usefulness, Partnership and outcome satisfaction). Moreover, industrial relations climate is found to moderate the relationship between justice and JCC performance, JCC usefulness and partnership; and the relationship between trust and partnership. Findings from the qualitative analysis of the two cases illustrate that employee and management representatives rely on different elements of trustworthiness to assess the other party. Furthermore, different dimensions of justice are shown to be more salient in different stages of the JCC’s operation. Specifically, during the early stages of the JCC process (pre-voice history, design, preparations, and first meeting) employee representatives relied on ability, benevolence and integrity and procedural and interactional justice to form expectations about the JCC’s role. During the last stage of the JCC process (subsequent meetings), employee representatives relied more on their evaluation of management’s integrity and ‘sharing and delegating control’, distributive and procedural justice when forming their trust and justice perceptions. Management, on the other hand, relied heavily throughout the process on employee representatives’ ability and less so on their integrity and benevolence. It is also demonstrated that management were not substantially concerned with justice dimensions. Additionally, expectations about the JCC’s purpose and the degree of risk the Decision Making Teams (DMTs) are willing to take when deciding whether or not to consult with the JCC are found to be influential.
This thesis proposes several future directions for JCC research and practical implications for practitioners are discussed in light of the importance of trust and justice in forming JCC effectiveness perceptions.