Abstract
Although social inequality is widespread, managers do not necessarily perceive it as unfair. Across four field studies involving European managers, we investigate how mindfulness influences managers’ perceptions of distributive justice in society (PDJS). Three results emerge. First, mindfulness leads managers to perceive societal inequalities as more unfair. Second, social-justice awareness mediates this relationship. Third, organizational context conditions these effects: workplace ostracism weakens the positive influence of mindfulness on social-justice awareness and PDJS, whereas organizational justice buffers this detrimental effect. These results make three contributions. First, we extend mindfulness research by demonstrating its relevance to managers’ perceptions of societal outcomes. Second, we empirically support the mindfulness capability for social justice theory by identifying social-justice awareness as the key mechanism linking mindfulness to PDJS. Third, we establish organizational context as an important boundary condition, showing when the societal benefits of mindfulness are weakened or preserved.