6533b836fe1ef96bd12a12e9

RESEARCH PRODUCT

Unit-level fairness and quality within the health care industry: A justice–quality model

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description

We test a justice–quality model in which peer justice and justice climate are related to the service quality provided by the work unit. Based on the effort–reward imbalance model, we propose that units perceiving fair treatment provide better delivery of the core service (functional service quality) and better relational service beyond the core service (relational service quality). We also test whether the cross-level relationship of high service quality delivered by work units translates into high customer ratings of the service quality they receive. Furthermore, we propose that high service quality increases the work unit’s influence on their customers’ quality of life (QoL). We test these hypotheses using hierarchical linear modelling with 724 employees and 1,137 customers nested in 89 health care organizations providing services to persons with intellectual disabilities (PID). Customers’ ratings were assessed by the legal guardians of the PID. Results showed that justice climate is related to function...