The Impacts of Organizational Justice on Collegiate Coaches’ Attitudinal Outcomes: Mediating Effect of Trust

Objectives:
The main purpose of this study was to examine the relationships between organizational justice (e.g., distributive justice, procedural justice, and interactional justice) and attitudinal outcomes (e.g., career commitment and job satisfaction) among Chinese collegiate coaches. This study also explored the mediating effects of trust in the organization and trust in supervisors in these relationships.

Theoretical background and Literature review:
In college sports, coaches are not only responsible for recruiting players and training the team but are also acting as "caregivers" for student-athletes, influencing their physical and psychological well-being (Stirling & Kerr, 2013). Therefore, it is essential for an athletic department to develop strategies aimed at enhancing coaches’ attitudinal outcomes (e.g., job satisfaction and career commitment), as these factors can influence coaches’ performance and behavioral outcomes (Bravo et al., 2019). However, there is limited research investigating the factors and mechanisms influencing collegiate coaches’ job satisfaction and career commitment. According to social exchange theory (Blau, 1964), enduring interactions between individuals and the connections between individuals and organizations are grounded in the principle of reciprocity. For example, people may feel obligated to reciprocate with positive work attitudes upon perceiving kindness and support from the organization. Furthermore, Blau (1964) highlights the mediating role of trust in sustaining the social exchange process. Kim and Andrew (2015) evidenced the importance of organizational justice, the perceived fairness of an individual within an organization (Colquitt et al., 2003), in relation to budget allocation, influencing collegiate commitment and job satisfaction of collegiate coaches in the United States.
However, there are several limitations to consider. Firstly, the study was conducted in the United States, limiting its generalizability. Secondly, three dimensions of organizational justice were merged into a two-dimensional construct due to issues with discriminant validity. Therefore, it is necessary to explore how three-dimensional organizational justice influences the attitudinal outcomes of Chinese collegiate coaches.

Methodology:
The cross-sectional study was conducted using an online questionnaire. A total of 208 Chinese collegiate coaches were recruited from 8 sports through the snowball sampling method. Data analysis was employed using partial least square structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) by Smart PLS 4.0.

Results/findings and Discussion:
The results demonstrated that trust in supervisor partially mediated the relationship between interactional justice and job satisfaction (β = 0.188, p <.05). Moreover, interactional justice was indirectly related to career commitment (β = 0.217, p <.05), as fully mediated by trust in organization. This study highlights the importance of interactional justice in influencing collegiate coaches’ career commitment and job satisfaction. Besides, this study contributes to social exchange theory (Blau, 1964) evidencing the mediating role of trust in coaches’ social exchange process.

Conclusion:
This study evidences the importance of interactional justice in improving collegiate coaches’ job satisfaction and career commitment and the mediating role of trust in coaches’ social exchange process. The findings underscore the importance of fostering justice and a trustworthy work environment to enhance collegiate coaches’ work attitudes, benefiting both individuals and teams.