This paper is part of the International Journal of Applied Research in Business and Management (ISSN: 2700-8983), Volume 6, Issue 1, published in 2025.
Authors
Fhatuwani Raliphaswa, Dennis Yao Dzansi, Lineo Winifred Dzansi
Abstract
The purpose of this research is to critically examine whether procedural justice in Training and Development (T&D), gender, and tenure meaningfully influence employee deviance in the South African public sector, thereby testing the relevance of established organizational behaviour theories in a setting characterized by bureaucratic challenges, historical inequities, and persistent mistrust. A quantitative, cross-sectional approach was adopted, utilizing structured questionnaires distributed to public sector employees. The data were analysed using Structural Equation Modelling to assess both direct and moderating effects. The results indicate that, within the South African public sector’s bureaucratic environment where procedural reforms exist alongside persistent inequalities, procedural justice in T&D has a negative but statistically insignificant association with various forms of employee deviance. Furthermore, neither gender nor tenure significantly influenced deviant behaviour versus procedural justice. This indicates the limited role of procedural justice, gender, and tenure in predicting workplace deviance in this context, suggesting that broader systemic and contextual factors may be involved. The research was limited to one South African province, procedural justice and did not consider distributive or interactional justice. By questioning the generalizability of established justice theories and demographic moderators, this study adds to the organisational behaviour literature, particularly in the public sector. The findings suggest that public sector organisations should not rely solely on procedural justice in T&D to address deviant behaviours.
Suggested Citation (APA 7th)
Raliphaswa, F., Dzansi, D., Dzansi, L. (2025). Reassessing Procedural Justice and Workplace Deviance: The Unexpected Role of Gender and Tenure. International Journal of Applied Research in Business and Management, 6(1). https://doi.org/10.51137/wrp.ijarbm.2025.frrt.45789
