Compliance and Assistance to an Authority Figure in Perceived Equitable or Nonequitable Situations

Abstract

A derivation of Adams' theory of inequity is that intradepartmental promotion might disproportionately reward a peer, thereby creating feelings of dissatisfaction among nonpromoted co-workers. Subjects were presented with either a hypothetically equitable situation in which a more qualified person is promoted as an authority to the subjects, or a hypothetically inequitable situation in which an equally qualified person is promoted to the same position. The effect of two additional contextual variables was examined: (a) level of acquaintance with the newly promoted authority; and (b) subjects' score on the Rotter's I-E Reinforcement Scale. Mode of inequity resolution was tested by having subjects rate their willingness to comply with work-related and personal requests made by the superior, as well as their inclination to initiate work-related or personal assistance. As predicted, internalists granted a significantly narrower range of authority to the superior in work-related requests when the situation was perceived as inequitable as compared to perceived equitable situations. Externalists did not differentiate when granting authority in these situations. On the other hand, externalists showed a significantly greater tendency to comply with personal requests made by an equally qualified superior than with requests made by a more qualified one. Internalists did not differentiate between the former and latter in the same situations. It was found that nonsolicited assistance was not used as a mode of equity restoration.