Conceptions of Fairness and Forming the Common Ground

I doubt any parent has survived the experience without regularly hearing those four words: ‘It is not fair.’ In this chapter I explore the nature of fairness, its innate importance to human beings, and – drawing on the work of Emery and Trist (1965) – I argue that in turbulent complex environments, it is critical to attend to conceptions of fairness. Indeed, the formation of the common ground creates a climate of cooperation and social adaptability and thereby enhances the possibility of a positive response to such challenging environments.