Equity Theory

Every author interprets and define social equity a little differently. Social equity issues, refers to the distribution of fairness. (Guy & McCandless, 2012). Social equity is rooted in the idea that each person is equal and has inalienable rights. With America’s being a blend of social, religious, economic, and political characteristics, the

The Equity Theory touches on the effects these situations have on the employee’s motivational level. In society today employees are constantly comparing how they are

Although different societies have varying perceptions of what is an acceptable level of equity, it is generally accepted that inequality has an impact on key social determinants such as health, wellbeing, political trust and violence. Wilkinson and Pickett (2009) highlight the social costs of inequality on a whole range of aspects of our lives. Wilkinson and Pickett (2009) argue that if inequality were reduced, there would be significant reductions in mental illness, murder rates, imprisonment and an improvement in social mobility (Wilkinson and Pickett, 2009).

Rather, Equity, and the sense of fairness which commonly underpins motivation, is dependent on the comparison a person makes between his or her reward/investment ratio with the ratio enjoyed (or suffered) by others considered to be in a similar situation”(Balancing Employee Inputs and Outputs).

Imagine living in a world that consistently devalues your existence and is heavily populated with individuals who are quick to use and abuse your resources, but are slow to share the wealth that is accumulated from those resources. How would you feel? Unfortunately, certain populations do not have to visualize the disparity that is pictured above. This is because inequity is one of the most demoralizing social issues that plague America today. The worst thing about inequity is the fact that it continues to disproportionately burden individuals who are categorize as being minority in today’s society.

Adam’s Equity Theory is a model of motivation which basically states that employees will perform at a more productive rate if they feel that they are being treated fairly (Kreitner & Kinicki, 2010). Equity is achieved when a worker perceives their reward for their amount of work to be equal to that of a relevant worker. Negative inequity is perceived by the employee when the relevant worker receives greater rewards for the same amount of work. Positive inequity is perceived by the employee when the relevant worker receives fewer rewards for the same amount of work (Kreitner & Kinicki, 2010).

Equality defines the state of being equal opening up many opportunities and rights to everybody no matter who they are. It can build a strong society if applied correctly. “Harrison Bergeron” by Kurt Vonnegut and “Al Roosten” by George Saunders are two short stories regarding the effects of varying levels of social equality, creating a negative response. Both of these stories demonstrate the effects of equality and the power it has to shape society and people. Harrison from “Harrison Bergeron” is found in a society with highly advanced equality whereas Al from “Al Roosten” is struggling in a society dealing with the opposite however, both characters and societies are struggling with the negative effects. The negative effects that come with

Inequality, it is all around us, in our jobs, at our children schools, in our neighborhoods, and no matter how hard we might try to escape it, there if no escape. We used to think that inequality was a thing of the past, but it is still very prevalent in today’s society. Many think “well inequality does not affect me personally, so why should I care?” While it may not affect you personally, it probably affects someone close to you. Throughout his book Toxic Inequality, Thomas Shapiro demonstrates just how surrounded the population is by inequalities with stories about families who are not only financially divided, but racially. These inequalities are rooted so deeply in our society that it can be easy to overlook the problem and ignore it, but as Shapiro demonstrates we can no longer overlook the problem, we need to face it head on it we have any hope of trying to fix it for future generations.

Adams, J. (1963). Toward an understanding of inequity. Journal of Abnormal Social Psychology, 67, 422-436. Retrieved from: eds.a.ebscohost.com.proxy1.ncu.edu/ehost

Inequality has been a long standing issue in societies. Though many constitutions and laws are constructed from the belief that all men are created equal, the widely accepted declaration has been proven false numerous times by the arise of social injustices plaguing societies around. With issues such as racism, sexism, ableism, classism, ageism, and religious oppression constantly being the topic of conversation it is almost impossible for one to believe that indeed everyone is equal. In actuality the belief that everyone is created equal is a flawed mentality because equality is defined is where everyone is the same despite the differences such as sex and race that makes them different. Humans as mammals were not made to be nor look the same

or fairness within the social, political, and economic perspectives. Equity forms the core value of both

On the other hand, another injustice that is apparent in our society is inequality. It causes us to feel insecure, unimportant and unequal. People make others feel less with words and actions. Sometimes we do it subconsciously, meaning that we don’t think of the outcome and the damage that we cause them emotionally. When that happens, people feel like they don’t

The equity theory conceived by J. Stacy Adams is based premise that "people gauge the fairness of their work outcomes relative to others, any perceived inequity is a motivating state of mind" (Schermerhorn, Hunt, and Osborn, 2005, p.10, chpt.6). This theory when applied to a sales force would not be the best method to motivate this employee group as to what is deemed fair by a team leader could be perceived as unfair by the

Certainly, Alexie’s illustration of his childhood struggles are an enlightening experience. While he does not directly address the question, it does shed some light on the ongoing debate. Equity vs Equality, which is more beneficial. Equality has been used since Jim Crow when southern schools installed the mentality of 'separate but equal'. This mentality exhibited that even though they were separate, nothing was ever truly equal. This mentality failed. Looking at our system now, one cannot help but point out the similarities to the old Jim Crow system. As Albert Einstein would say, Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. Equity is the opposite. Equity would ensure that those who needed extra or additional help would receive because that would be fair.

The organizational justice (OB, p. 256) is taken to extremes. Implementing the same reward through the company notwithstanding local market and standard of living, notwithstanding individual performance creates the feeling of inequity and does not encourage doing better than the average. Attempts to minimize sabotage appear to focus on treating employees fairly and honestly, by