Exploring the antecedents and consequences of impersonal trust
International Journal of Organizational Analysis
ISSN: 1934-8835
Article publication date: 2 March 2020
Issue publication date: 19 October 2020
Abstract
Purpose
Trust and impersonal trust, in particular, are of significant importance both for organizations and for innovative personnel, who are regarded human assets to organizations. The purpose of this study is to investigate the antecedents and consequences of impersonal trust in organizations.
Design/methodology/approach
The population of this study constituted the managers, specialists and personnel of a pharmaceutical company in Iran. Out of a total of 200 questionnaires having been administered, 187 were returned; and structural equation modelling (SEM) was used for data analysis.
Findings
The findings of the study indicate that personal learning has a significant positive effect (β = 0.64) on impersonal trust, that interpersonal communication has a significant positive effect (β = 0.14) on impersonal trust, and that organizational justice perception, also, has a significant positive effect (β = 0.14) on impersonal trust. In addition, the findings show that impersonal trust has a significant positive effect both on job satisfaction (β = 0.47) and on innovation (B = 0.42) and job satisfaction has a significant positive effect (β = 0.39) on innovation. Moreover, impersonal trust, through job satisfaction, has a significant indirect effect (β = 0.18) on innovation; and personal learning, through organizational justice perception, does not have a significant indirect effect (β = 0.014) on impersonal trust.
Originality/value
This study is among only a few studies having investigated the antecedents and consequences of impersonal trust together. Also, in a developing country like Iran, impersonal trust has rarely been studied.
Keywords
Citation
Safari, A., Barzoki, A.S. and Heidari Aqagoli, P. (2020), "Exploring the antecedents and consequences of impersonal trust", International Journal of Organizational Analysis, Vol. 28 No. 6, pp. 1149-1173. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJOA-08-2019-1850
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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