Does Interpersonal Trust Influence Organizational Behavior?

Abstract

This research investigates into interpersonal trust and workplace outcomes in organizations within social exchange perspective. Current study is building upon the theoretical underpinnings of trust studies that pose trust as a psychological state and a social glue. Current research develops a theoretical model of interpersonal trust presuming that different trust objects-namely peers and senior managementhave unique and direct effects on global workplace outcomes: Affective commitment, turnover intention, and job satisfaction. The data was collected via convenience sampling and data consists of 134 professionals working in Turkey. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) using Partial Least Squares (PLS) is employed to test our model. Findings suggest that trust in peers and trust in senior management translate into higher affective commitment. Results indicate a positive association between job satisfaction and trust in senior management. Turnover intention however, did not significantly associate with any of the trust variables suggesting the difference between economic exchange and social exchange, which involves reciprocal behaviors. Simultaneous investigation of two trust objects in organizations as well as inclusion of variety of contextual factors bring rigor to the scope of the research and the explanations of workplace outcomes.

Impact of Knowledge Capital on Performance of Firms: A Case of Firms in Finland

“…Many of these variables are interpersonal between an employee and his/her superior. For example, good management may mean an employee's willingness to trust in his/her peers or in senior management and it having an impact on commitment or job satisfaction, as Bakay (2015) has empirically tested. Not all knowledge gained from experience is easy to define.…”