What Drives Trickle-Down Effects? A Test of Multiple Mediation Processes

Organizational research has established the existence of trickle-down effects, wherein the perceptions, attitudes, or behavior of one person in an organization affects those of another person at a lower level. Although current research has explained the phenomenon using several different theoretical perspectives, prior studies have not explicitly tested the theorized mechanisms. This paper develops and tests a model that incorporates three theories of trickle-down effects for interactional justice perceptions: social exchange theory, social learning theory, and displaced aggression. Using cross-sectional data from 200 supervisor–subordinate dyads in Study 1 and longitudinal data from 270 supervisor–subordinate dyads in Study 2, we test this multiple mediator model. The results demonstrate that the two aspects of interactional justice perceptions—interpersonal and informational justice perceptions—trickle down from supervisors to subordinates through two different mechanisms. Specifically, displaced aggression accounts for the trickle-down effects of interpersonal justice perceptions and social exchange accounts for the trickle-down effects of informational justice perceptions. We discuss the implications of the findings for research on trickle-down effects and organizational justice.