Inequality and organizations

Abstract

Over the course of human history, philosophical thought on inequality has shifted from a predominantly hierarchical understanding of human ability and output to a much more egalitarian understanding. This progress has been reflected in the rich modern social science literature documenting the far-reaching societal ills of inequality. Organizational research has, however, remained relatively unmoved by the wider discourse on inequality. Through this chapter, we seek to highlight the growing importance of examining inequality in the context of organizations. Specifically, we discuss inequality research by examining it from the perspective of distributive justice. We then outline the adverse co..