Interpersonal Trust in Organisations: An Empirical Investigation of Workplace Outcomes in Two Countries

European J. Cross-Cultural Competence and Management, Forthcoming

Posted: 24 Jun 2016

See all articles by Aziz Bakay

Aziz Bakay

Gediz University

Bülent Akyüz

Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University

Abidin Ateş

Mustafa Kemal University

Date Written: June 24, 2016

Abstract

This research hypothesised that particular workplace behavioural outcomes can be explained by interpersonal trust, considering the traditional perspectives on trust as a social glue lowering transaction costs. We employed an approach of distinguishing three trust objects, namely, trust in peers, trust in the supervisor, and trust in top management. Survey data on interpersonal trust, affective commitment (AC), intention to turnover (ITT), job satisfaction (JS) and job performance (JP) was collected from professionals working in Turkey (N = 134) and the USA (N = 150). Data were analysed using partial least square based structural equation modelling. Findings in general suggested a normative point of view of trust, and discussions from comparative cultural contexts were given. Evidence shows that AC was positively associated with trust in peers and trust in top management in both countries. JS was explained by trust in supervisors in the US sample, whereas trust in top management predicted JS in the Turkey sample. ITT, due to its economic-grained nature, did not associate with any of the trust variables, implying the distinction between social exchange and economic exchange. JP and trust were inversely associated in the samples from both countries, revealing a team effect and contradicting the initial hypothesis. Practical implications were discussed.

Keywords: Cross-Cultural Trust; Interpersonal Trust; Organisational Behaviour, PLS Based SEM

JEL Classification: D23

Suggested Citation

Bakay, Aziz and Akyüz, Bülent and Ateş, Abidin, Interpersonal Trust in Organisations: An Empirical Investigation of Workplace Outcomes in Two Countries (June 24, 2016). European J. Cross-Cultural Competence and Management, Forthcoming, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2800089

Aziz Bakay (Contact Author)

Gediz University ( email )

Izmir
Turkey

Bülent Akyüz

Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University ( email )

Çanakkale, 17100
Turkey

Abidin Ateş

Mustafa Kemal University ( email )

Hatay
Turkey

Do you have negative results from your research you’d like to share?

Paper statistics

Abstract Views
381
PlumX Metrics