Trust in Senior Leaders and Direct Supervisors, Well-Being and Extra-Role Behavior in the US Federal Government
A study co-authored by Nhung Thi Hong Nguyen (HAPRI Senior Research Associate) and Luu Trong Tuan, published in Review of Public Personnel Administration, examines how US federal employees' trust in senior leaders and trust in direct supervisors are connected, and how that trust relates to psychological well-being and extra-role behavior. Using data from the 2019 Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey, the authors find empirical support for their hypotheses, broadening scholarly knowledge about the connection of trust in multi-level managers and their effects on employees' attitudinal and behavioral outcomes.
Context
Trust matters in public administration, but according to the authors, existing research focuses on trust in a specific level of management. It ignores how trust in different management levels is connected, and what those connections mean for employees.
The study sets out to address that gap in the US federal government. It looks at trust in two levels of management, senior leaders and direct supervisors, and treats them together rather than one at a time.
Methods
The authors build their hypotheses on the trickle-down and trickle-up models and on the job demands-resources model. They test the hypotheses with a latent moderated structural model, using data from the 2019 Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey.
Key findings
The study finds support for the proposition that employee trust in senior leaders fosters their trust in direct supervisors, and vice versa.
Trust in senior leaders and direct supervisors indirectly affects extra-role behavior through psychological well-being.
Workload moderates these effects, meaning it changes their size.
Because leaders and supervisors play complementary roles, trust in senior leaders and trust in direct supervisors positively interact to enhance psychological well-being.
Policy implications
The authors say that public organizations should build trust in all hierarchical levels to foster organizational effectiveness. The authors say that senior leaders should encourage supervisors to assign employees reasonable workload.
Keywords:
Trust in Leadership
Public Administration
Psychological Well-Being
Workload
Extra-Role Behavior
Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey
Link:
Citation:
Nguyen, N. T. H., & Tuan, L. T. (2020). Trust in Multi-Level Managers and Employee Extra-Role Behavior in the US Federal Government: The Role of Psychological Well-Being and Workload. Review of Public Personnel Administration, 42(2), 312-337.
