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 crosssectional 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 fromsupervisors 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.