ABSTRACT
The relational model of authority builds upon the insight articulated by social identity and self-categorization researchers that people incorporate important group memberships or social identities into their self-concept. According to the relational model of authority, identification with the group or organization the authority represents determines whether people will pay more attention to relational or instrumental justice concerns. Fair treatment by organizational authorities can encourage employees to accept less than favorable outcomes or decisions when resources are scarce. It can draw attention away from structural inequities and problems. The traditional view of authority relations is found within both social exchange and interdependence theories and realistic group conflict theories. Participants in intergroup and intragroup contexts viewed the same leadership behavior as equally neutral, trustworthy, and respectful, but rated the intergroup leader as significantly less procedurally fair than the intragroup leader.
