Trust in Management: The Effect of Managerial Trustworthy Behavior and Reciprocity

IESE Working Paper No. D/496

15 Pages Posted: 9 Jan 2004

See all articles by Pablo Cardona

Pablo Cardona

University of Navarra, IESE Business School

Aitziber Elola

University of Navarra, IESE Business School

Date Written: February 2003

Abstract

In this paper we study the antecedents of subordinates' trust in their leaders (STL). In particular, we focus on the effects of managerial trustworthy behavior (MTB) and subordinates' perceptions of leaders' trust in them (LTS). We develop a scale of managerial trustworthy behavior following the typology proposed by Whitener, Brodt, Korsgaard and Werner (1998) that includes: behavioral consistency, behavioral integrity, sharing and delegation of control, communication, and demonstration of concern.

A sample of 109 Spanish middle managers provided data for our study. The results of the hierarchical regression analysis show that both MTB and LTS have a significant relationship with STL. Further, we study the effect of reciprocity in the trusting relationship. We find that there are significant differences between subordinates' trust in management and their perceptions about superiors' trust in them.

Keywords: trust, leadership, reciprocity, social exchange

Suggested Citation

Cardona, Pablo and Elola, Aitziber, Trust in Management: The Effect of Managerial Trustworthy Behavior and Reciprocity (February 2003). IESE Working Paper No. D/496, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=462624 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.462624

Pablo Cardona (Contact Author)

University of Navarra, IESE Business School ( email )

Avenida Pearson 21
Barcelona, 08034
Spain
(34) 93-2534200 (Phone)

Aitziber Elola

University of Navarra, IESE Business School ( email )

Avenida Pearson 21
Barcelona, 08034
Spain