Scale library · HRM & organizational behavior
Organizational justice scale: Colquitt (2001)
Colquitt (2001) validated a four-factor structure of organizational justice and published a 20-item measure: procedural (7 items), distributive (4), interpersonal (4) and informational justice (5). Each item is a question about a specific outcome (pay, rewards, evaluations, promotions) or about the decision-maker. It is the most cited justice measure and suits theses on performance appraisal, pay policy, turnover intention, commitment and organizational citizenship behavior.
Cite the original, not the blog.
- Model or scale: Organizational justice scale
- Constructs: 4
- Items: 20
Original English items
Items marked (R) are reverse-coded: recode them before computing reliability or scale scores. Replace bracketed placeholders such as [system] with the name of the system, brand or organization you study.
Procedural Justice (PJ, 7 items)
| Code | Item wording | Reverse-coded |
|---|---|---|
| PJ1 | Have you been able to express your views and feelings during those procedures? | No |
| PJ2 | Have you had influence over the (outcome) arrived at by those procedures? | No |
| PJ3 | Have those procedures been applied consistently? | No |
| PJ4 | Have those procedures been free of bias? | No |
| PJ5 | Have those procedures been based on accurate information? | No |
| PJ6 | Have you been able to appeal the (outcome) arrived at by those procedures? | No |
| PJ7 | Have those procedures upheld ethical and moral standards? | No |
Distributive Justice (DJ, 4 items)
| Code | Item wording | Reverse-coded |
|---|---|---|
| DJ1 | Does your (outcome) reflect the effort you have put into your work? | No |
| DJ2 | Is your (outcome) appropriate for the work you have completed? | No |
| DJ3 | Does your (outcome) reflect what you have contributed to the organization? | No |
| DJ4 | Is your (outcome) justified, given your performance? | No |
Interpersonal Justice (IPJ, 4 items)
| Code | Item wording | Reverse-coded |
|---|---|---|
| IPJ1 | Has (he/she) treated you in a polite manner? | No |
| IPJ2 | Has (he/she) treated you with dignity? | No |
| IPJ3 | Has (he/she) treated you with respect? | No |
| IPJ4 | Has (he/she) refrained from improper remarks or comments? | No |
Informational Justice (IFJ, 5 items)
| Code | Item wording | Reverse-coded |
|---|---|---|
| IFJ1 | Has (he/she) been candid in (his/her) communications with you? | No |
| IFJ2 | Has (he/she) explained the procedures thoroughly? | No |
| IFJ3 | Were (his/her) explanations regarding the procedures reasonable? | No |
| IFJ4 | Has (he/she) communicated details in a timely manner? | No |
| IFJ5 | Has (he/she) seemed to tailor (his/her) communications to individuals’ specific needs? | No |
Response scale
5-point extent scale (1 = To a small extent … 5 = To a large extent). The items are worded as questions, so agreement labels do not fit; if you rewrite them as statements with an agreement scale, say so in your method section.
Licence and permission
The items are published in the original article in the Journal of Applied Psychology and widely used in research; we found no specific terms of use from the author. Cite the original article.
Sources (APA 7)
- Colquitt, J. A. (2001). On the dimensionality of organizational justice: A construct validation of a measure. Journal of Applied Psychology, 86(3), 386–400. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.86.3.386
Vietnamese translation
A Vietnamese translation of every item, with sample-size advice and studies that used the scale, is on the Vietnamese page for this scale.