When leaders choose to be fair: Follower belongingness needs and leader empathy influences leaders' adherence to procedural fairness rules

Previous studies on procedural fairness have largely neglected to examine factors that influence leaders' enactment of fairness. Two controlled laboratory experiments and a field study with leaders working within organizations investigated the combined impact of follower belongingness needs and leader empathy. It was revealed that leaders are more apt to enact fair procedures when followers' belongingness needs are high rather than low. This effect was further moderated by leader empathy, such that highly empathic leaders, either because of individual differences or through situational induction, take followers' belongingness needs more into account. The relevance of these findings for procedural rule adherence and violation as a dependent variable and empathic leadership is discussed.