A Muddy Climb: Organizational Conditions That Enhance Perceptions of Fairness for Non-Tenure Track Faculty Navigating Promotion

Although higher education institutions have increasingly put in place promotion policies and processes for non-tenure-track faculty (NTTF), little research has examined how NTTF navigate these nascent organizational structures. This qualitative case study investigates the experiences of 26 full-time NTTF at a large public research university in the United States. Using a critical organizational justice framework, we examine how organizational conditions influence NTTF’s perceptions of justice, or fairness, in the promotion process. Findings reveal three major themes of organizational conditions that shaped perceptions of justice: unequal rewards, resources, and recognition; departmental variation; and tenure system defaults. Under each theme, we identify specific organizational conditions linked to NTTF’s perceptions of justice and connect them to the underlying dimensions of justice. We conclude with a discussion of the interplay between perceptions of fairness and organizational conditions, highlighting how these dynamics shape NTTF’s experiences with promotion and the broader implications for developing equitable working conditions for NTTF.