The Mediating Role of Trust and Social Cohesion in the Effects of New Ways of Working: A Dutch Case Study
Human Resource Management, Social Innovation and Technology
ISBN: 978-1-78441-130-5, eISBN: 978-1-78441-129-9
Publication date: 14 August 2014
Abstract
Purpose
The aim of the chapter is to understand the role of trust and social cohesion in the effects of New Ways of Working.
Design
The study consists of a cross-sectional survey (N = 549) at a Dutch insurance company with four locations. NWW was introduced in one of the locations 15 years ago, the other locations only recently. We present and test a model in which trust and social cohesion are mediators between NWW and performance.
Findings
The implementation of NWW leads to better performance (Beta 0.16, p < 0.001). However, the main effect is explained completely by the mediating role of trust (between employees-managers and between colleagues) and social cohesion. The number of days working at home has no significant relationship to performance.
Research Implications
The theory and findings of this chapter call for further elaboration in research: more contextualization of these data is needed and more comprehensive theoretical models, such as the role of personality, task and function.
Practical Implications
If employees feel to be trusted by their supervisors and colleagues, the performance will increase, ‘even’ if they work at home or in flexible offices. The implementation of NWW will therefore only be beneficial if there are trustful relations and attention is paid to social cohesion of the group.
Originality
The study is among the first to prove the relationship between NWW and performance and more importantly, it is one of the first in explaining that relationship by pointing on the mediating role of trust and social cohesion.
Keywords
Citation
De Leede, J. and Kraijenbrink, J. (2014), "The Mediating Role of Trust and Social Cohesion in the Effects of New Ways of Working: A Dutch Case Study", Human Resource Management, Social Innovation and Technology (Advanced Series in Management, Vol. 14), Emerald Group Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 3-20. https://doi.org/10.1108/S1877-636120140000014006
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2014 Emerald Group Publishing Limited