Year: 2017
Type: dissertation
Abstract: Trust between leaders and their subordinates is key to successful interpersonal cooperation at work, and has been related to both performance and organizational citizenship behaviour (Colquitt, Scott, & LePine, 2007). Although research suggests that effective leadership improves a subordinate’s trust in their leader, little work has examined whether a leader’s behaviours can improve their subordinate’s felt trust (Brower, Schoorman, & Tan, 2000; Dirks & Ferrin, 2002; Mayer, Davis, & Schoorman, 1995). The present study used a between-subjects online vignette experiment to examine how subordinate felt trust may be influenced by a) a leader’s task delegation, b) the probability of negative outcomes and c) the importance of avoiding negative outcomes in the task. Participants were n = 1196 people recruited over CrowdFlower. Results indicate that leader’s task delegation improves subordinate felt trust, d = 0.90, 95% CI = [0.78, 1.03]. The probability of negative outcomes for the delegated task did not affect felt trust, d = 0.03, 95% CI = [-0.14, 0.20]. However, delegating more important tasks had a greater positive effect on felt trust than less important tasks, d = 0.57, 95% CI = [0.4, 0.74]. Findings support the relational leadership model; subordinates perceive leader’s risk-taking actions as indicative of trust.
Author: Joshua Hanna
Language: English
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2758526825