40 years of equity sensitivity: A theoretical and meta-analytic review of relations, roles, and remaining questions

Abstract

Organizational scholars have studied equity sensitivity (ES) for nearly half a century. Yet, a lack of synthesis in the ES literature suggests important questions remain regarding our understanding of the concept, its nomological network, the theoretical role(s) it may play in shaping employee attitudes and behaviors, and its relations to adjacent theories of equity and organizational justice. In the current work, we address these questions via a theoretical and meta-analytic review of the ES literature encompassing 117 articles, 144 samples, and 36,177 participants. In synthesizing the literature, we (1) describe and alleviate existing tensions surrounding the construct's conceptualization, (2) provide empirical insights regarding the construct's associations and relative importance in the prediction of key workplace outcomes, and (3) present an integrative model of ES's potential theoretical moderating role in equity and justice relationships. Our work provides clarity regarding ES's nomological network and offers critical directions for future scholarship. Specifically, we draw special attention to opportunities for new work exploring ES's potential as a key linking mechanism among equity and organizational justice theories.

The authors' abstract, as published at the source. Human Resource Management Review, 2026 · DOI ↗