Procedural Justice in Group Decision Support

This chapter reports a case study that explicitly considers dimensions of procedural justice in the negotiation of new “working contracts” in a large organisation. The case outlines how using a causal mapping Group Support System (GSS) helped in a specific client intervention to deliver a new negotiated contract. Following key stages from the strategy making approach known as ‘Journey Making’ we illustrate the development of an agreed identity and vision of the organisation and the strategic priorities that were identified and prioritised. One particular area of focus centres on a contentious and difficult political negotiation of revenue contracts between the central decision-making executive of a multinational chain of health care practices and the practitioners who run the chain of practices. The intervention resulted in the acceptance of a new collective agreement on working contracts between the centre and the practises opening the door to rapid expansion of the business. We show how a focus in the workshops on the dimensions of ‘Procedural Justice’, using a “Dual facilitation process”, helped to support positive extra rule behaviours in turn fostering the successful renegotiation to be delivered.