Through the Lens of Fairness: A Qualitative Investigation into Co-workers’ Perceptions of I-deals

Amidst the rapidly evolving work environment that increasingly necessitates personalized approaches towards employees, there is a pressing need to broaden our understanding of idiosyncratic deals (i-deals) and their third-party implications in the workplace. Although immediate responses to i-deals often hinge on equity and social comparison, this approach does not fully explain co-workers’ perceptions of others’ i-deals. By reconciling various theoretical accounts, we propose that co-workers’ perceptions of i-deals largely depend on the implementation of i-deals and related justice perceptions of co-workers. However, our understanding of how i-deal implementation shapes co-workers’ perceptions of i-deals from a justice perspective remains limited. Therefore, we conducted an inductive multiple-case study through 48 in-depth interviews involving managers, i-deal receivers (i-dealers), and co-workers. Building on our findings, we develop an emergent framework that explains how the implementation of i-deals, when viewed through the lens of organizational justice, can shape co-workers’ perceptions of i-deals. This novel perspective enriches the i-deal literature by offering a fresh angle on the third-party implications of i-deals, emphasizing the significance of their implementation and related fairness perceptions.