Cultivating Follower Trust: Are All Leader Behaviors Equally Influential?

Abstract

We draw on the relevant extant literatures to examine the pathways to building trust through leader behaviors with three distinct emphases: the leader (personal leadership), the leader-follower relationship (relational leadership), and the situation (contextual leadership). We test this model using experimental data collected from experienced managers (Study 1) and field data collected from the peers and direct reports of business executives (Study 2). The results from these two studies both build on and challenge current views in the trust and leadership literatures about how leaders influence trust. Consistent with past literature, our findings indicate that various leadership behaviors appear to directly promote follower trust when analyzed independently. However, when these behaviors are analyzed jointly, relational leadership behaviors were found to mediate the effects of personal and contextual leadership behaviors on follower trust. The implications for theory and practice are discussed.

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