Be good for love or for money? The roles of justice in the Chinese hotel industry

Purpose - Drawing on the social exchange theory, the purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between the interactional justice of supervisors and the job performance of subordinates in an expatriate context. Specifically, the authors take a relational approach by introducing help intention directed to the supervisor (upward help intention) as the mediator. The moderating role of distributive justice in the relationship between upward help intention and job performance is also considered. Design/methodology/approach - A survey was conducted among 232 service employees and their expatriate supervisors in multinational hotels in China. Hierarchical multiple regression analysis was conducted to test the proposed model. Findings - The statistical results of this study supported the positive effect of interactional justice on job performance as well as the mediating effect of upward help intention. Meanwhile, it was also found that when the level of distributive justice is high, the relationship between upward help intention and job performance is strengthened, whereas the effect is leveled off when the level of distributive justice is low. Practical implications - The findings of this study suggest that managers in the service industry should be sensitive in treating their subordinates, as it will lead to positive interpersonal relationship, which in turn, will stimulate job performance. Moreover, the fair organizational compensation system aids the managers in turning good interpersonal results into positive performance outcomes. Originality/value - This study contributes to the literature on justice by revealing the relational mechanism between interactional justice and job performance, and the economic boundary of this relationship.