The Trickle-Down Effects Of Perceived Trustworthiness On Subordinate Performance

Keywords

Performance; Social learning theory; Trickle down; Trust; Trustworthiness

Abstract

We study when and why perceptions of trustworthiness trickle down the organizational hierarchy to influence the performance of subordinates. Building on social learning theory, we argue that when supervisors perceive their managers as trustworthy, subordinates are more likely to also perceive their supervisor as trustworthy, which in turn enhances subordinate performance. We further argue that this trickle-down effect of trustworthiness perceptions emerges especially when the manager invites the supervisor to participate in decision-making. Finally, we propose that social learning processes that lead to supervisors exhibiting more trusting behavior toward their subordinates mediate this trickle-down effect. We find support for our predictions across one multisource field study (Study 1) and two experiments (Studies 2 and 3) that both use a yoked design. This research represents the first attempt to examine trickle-down effects related to trustworthiness, its impact on performance, and the mediating mechanisms by which those effects emerge. This research also provides the first empirical evidence about the role that social learning processes play in explaining trickle-down processes.

Publication Date

12-1-2018

Publication Title

Journal of Applied Psychology

Volume

103

Issue

12

Number of Pages

1335-1357

Document Type

Article

Personal Identifier

scopus

DOI Link

https://doi.org/10.1037/apl0000339

Socpus ID

85050768442 (Scopus)

Source API URL

https://api.elsevier.com/content/abstract/scopus_id/85050768442

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