The impact of leader behaviour on trust in management and co-workers

Abstract

Within organizations, trust is essential for cooperation. One important form of trust is employees’ generalizing of trust in management and co-workers. Leaders may have an important role in enhancing such trust. Previous studies have linked transformational leadership with employees’ trust in their leader. In this study, we test whether such leadership is also related to trust in generalized others (management and co-workers). As expected, trust in the leader and management were highly positively related to transformational and less so to transactional. The same pattern was found for trust in colleagues, although these relationships were less strong. Opsomming Vertroue is onontbeerlik vir samewerking in organisasies. Een vorm van vertroue wat belangrik is, is werknemers se veralgemening van vertroue in bestuur en medewerkers. Bestuur mag ‘n belangrike rol hê om dié vertroue te versterk. Vorige studies het transformasieleierskap gekoppel aan werknemers se vertroue in hul bestuurder. In hierdie studie word getoets of transformasieleierskap ‘n verband toon met die veralgemening van vertroue (bestuur en medewerkers). Soos verwag, het vertroue in die leier en vertroue in medewerkers ‘n hoogs positiewe verband getoon met transformasieleierskap. Dieselfde patroon het voorgekom by vertroue in medewerkers, alhoewel die verhouding minder sterk is.