Employee Perceptions of the Manager Behaviors That Create Follower-Leader Trust

Abstract

Trust and related concepts are often discussed as representing important behaviors of good leaders. We empiricallytested these concepts to obtain insight into what builds trust between leaders and followers from the employee’sperspective. This was accomplished through a questionnaire with 409 respondents. The results were tested empiricallythrough both regression and structural equation modeling. Both models indicate a good fit with statistical significancefor what these respondents feel build trust with their leader. The behaviors identified in this study as enhancingperceptions of trust in leaders are demonstrated by managers who behave ethically, positively influence organizationalculture, treat employees fairly and consistently, encourage employee growth and development, and promote work-lifebalance. Our results contribute to the extant literature by empirically validating this unique set of behaviors that modeltrust-building with followers. This should provide practitioners with a guide for trust-building and enable researchersto further develop and test the model and its implications for organizational commitment and performance, as well asform a base for trust scale development similar to Robinson (1996).