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224 International Journal of Electronic Business Management, Vol. 10, No. 3, pp. 224-233 (2012)
THE IMPORTANCE OF TRUST IN MANAGER-EMPLOYEE
RELATIONSHIPS
Katarzyna Krot1* and Dagmara Lewicka2
1Management Department
Bialystok University of Technology
Białystok (15-089), Poland
2Management Faculty
AGH University of Science and Technology
Krakow (30-059), Poland
ABSTRACT
Trust is a complex and multidimensional phenomenon. Organizational trust is an important part
of professional relationships between co-workers, between managers and employees, or between
employees and managers. Trust can be either interpersonal or institutional in nature. To measure,
understand, and explain trust in an organizational context, it is important to identify different
dimensions of trust (competence, benevolence, and integrity), different types of trust (horizontal
trust between co-workers, vertical trust between managers and employees, and vertical trust
between employees and managers), and the roles that different dimensions of trust have in
different types of trust. The aim of this paper is to determine the roles that the different
dimensions of trust have in each of the different types of trust at Gaia, a Polish lingerie company.
Study results show competence is the least important dimension of trust in all of the different
types of trust at Gaia, the Polish lingerie company. Integrity is the most important dimension of
trust in relationships between co-workers. Benevolence is the most important dimension of trust
in relationships between employees and managers.
Keywords: Horizontal Trust, Vertical Trust, Dimensions of Trust, Poland
1. INTRODUCTION
*
Recent research studies on trust use cross-
disciplinary approaches to explore the multiple
dimensions of trust. Trust can resolve risk issues
between individuals, because trust is an attitude that
promotes risk-taking. Trust is important in business
environments because reinforces and strengthens
intra-organizational and inter-organizational
relationships [30].
Recent research studies highlight the importance
of trust for individual well-being in business
environments. Trust is key element of effective
communication and team-work between co-workers,
between managers and employees, and between
employees and managers. Trust reduces risk and
operating costs. Trust increases employee commitment
and productivity.
In spite of the great interest in trust, many
research questions have still not been investigated.
Previous research studies have focused on the causes
and consequences of trust and overall assessments of
trust [6]. However, Colquitt et al. [8] showed that, as
*Corresponding author: katarzynakrot@gmail.com
work relationships mature, trust becomes
differentiated.
Colquitt et al. [8] showed that different, types of
trust can be distinguished from each other. However,
they also showed that it is important to understand the
roles that different dimensions of trust have in different
types of trust. In other words, it is important to
understand what co-workers, managers, or employees
expect each other to do.
The research question is vitally important not only
because it is related to a fundamental gap in theoretical
understanding, but because it is also related to practical
working relationships in business environments.
Intra-organizational and inter- organizational
relationships are based upon the different types and
dimensions of trust. The aim of this paper is to
determine the roles that the different dimensions of
trust have in each of the different types of trust at Gaia,
a Polish lingerie company.
2. LITERATURE REVIEW
2.1 Trust
Trust is the willingness of one party to be
vulnerable to the actions of another party. Tzafrir and
Eitam-Meilik [33] showed that “trust is willingness to
K. Krot and D. Lewicka: The Importance of Trust in Manager-Employee Relationships 225
increase the resources invested in another party, based
on positive expectations resulting from past positive
mutual interactions”. Trust is a conviction by both
parties to never act in a way that brings detriment to the
other party or to take advantage of their weaknesses
[26]. Trust is the decision to rely on another party in a
risk condition [11]. Trust is the consequence or
positive impressions from mutual interactions [6].
Trust is the expectation and faith that two parties
will act to secure mutual benefit. Trust is established
by mutually beneficial behavior in the past. Trust and
cooperation are enhanced by meeting expectations of
mutually beneficial behavior in the present [4]. On the
other hand, trust is limited by uncertainty between two
parties about motives, intentions, and actions [15].
Trust is primarily interpersonal. However, in
business environments, there is also a global element
of trust; “trust is a global evaluation of the
organization’s trustworthiness as perceived by the
employees (the trustors)”. The employees’ belief that
the organization will act in a way that is beneficial, or
at least not detrimental, to them is also important [32].
McElroy [25] showed that trust creates added value in
an organization; trust enhances information flow and
knowledge creation. Trust enhances relationships,
interaction, and cooperation [10].
2.2 Different Types of Trust
Trust is important in different types of
relationships. Trust can be horizontal (between
co-workers), vertical (between managers and
employees or between employees and managers), or
institutional (between employees and organizations)
[22]. Institutional trust is the trust that employees have
in organization procedures, technologies, management,
goals, visions, competence, and justice [14].
Horizontal, vertical, and institutional trust are different
types of trust.
Vertical trust is generally more complex than
horizontal trust. Employees feel vulnerable because
managers have substantial influence over resource
allocation. As a result, managers are in a position to
make decisions that have a considerable impact on
employees. For instance, employees must rely on their
managers for work assignments, performance
evaluations, and promotions [20,37].
Previous research studies showed that trust has a
positive affect on employee-manager relationships.
Wang and Clegg [35] showed that level of vertical trust
affects employee actions in decision making [1].
Aboyassin [1] showed that trust reduces operational
expenses, improves relationships between managers
and employees, and simplifies intra-organizational
relationships [1]. As a result, it is important to
understand vertical trust and the behaviors that
managers can use to create vertical trust.
It is also important to understand horizontal trust
and the behaviors that employees can use to create
horizontal trust. Horizontal trust is the willingness of a
worker to be vulnerable to the actions of co-workers,
whose behavior and actions they cannot control [23].
Trends in the modern workplace, such as
decentralization and work teams, require more
interaction, cooperation, and information transfer
between co-workers [16]. As a result, the new working
conditions require more horizontal trust between
co-workers. Horizontal trust is also needed for
knowledge acquisition and dissemination processes
[22].
Previous studies were primarily concerned with
vertical trust between employees and managers, less
concerned with horizontal trust between co-workers,
and rarely concerned with trust between managers and
employees [37]. Previous studies showed that
employees feel vulnerable because they must rely on
their managers for work assignments, performance
evaluations, and promotions [20,37]. Recent studies
also showed that managers feel vulnerable because
they must rely on their employees to complete work
tasks [13,23]. Managers share responsibility for
incomplete work tasks. Incomplete work tasks affect
the managers’ performance evaluations, pay, and
reputations [20,28]. As a result, managers must trust
employees enough to assign work tasks to them.
Recent studies also showed that vertical trust is
related to acceptance of influence, absence of
monitoring, belief in positive motives, mutual learning
[17], and positive outcomes, such as high levels of
cooperation and performance [26]. Recent studies
showed that, in general, vertical trust improves
organizational processes.
2.2 Different Dimensions of Trust
Trust is complex and multidimensional concept.
To measure, understand, and explain trust, it is
important to identify the dimensions of trust. Svensson
[30] showed that trust has several dimensions.
Previous studies showed that trust has three primary
dimensions: integrity, benevolence, and competence
[12,14,26,28]. If a trustor believes that a trustee is
honest, benevolent, and competent (able to fulfill their
promises and obligations), the trustor is likely to trust
the trustee [27].
In interactions between co-workers or between
managers and employees benevolence is mutual help,
sometimes beyond what is prescribed by formal
agreements [3,23]. Benevolence is extraordinary
behavior that enhances the trustor’s wellbeing.
Benevolence is a willingness to take into consideration
the trustor’s interests in a decision-making process.
Benevolence is a willingness to act with consideration
and sensitivity to the trustor’s needs and interests [2].
Benevolence is also a willingness and desire to do
favors for other members of the organization.
Benevolent behaviors are expressions of altruism, care
226 International Journal of Electronic Business Management, Vol. 10, No. 3 (2012)
and concern for others, that goes beyond profit motives
or future gains [18]
Competence is an important dimension of trust in
organizational relationships. Biswas and Varma [5]
showed that basic competence is a level of
performance that fulfills the formal requirements of an
employee’s job. Higher-level competence is a level of
performance, which is independently undertaken, that
goes beyond the formal requirements of an employee’s
job. Recent studies showed that competence is a key
factor in building trust [5,24]. Trust that is based upon
competence can be built relatively quickly, because it
is not based upon emotional interactions [19].
Integrity is the extent to which the trustee’s
actions reflect values that are acceptable to the trustor
[28]. Integrity is established by following a set of rules
and ethical standards of conduct. The trustor must also
consider the rules and ethical standards of conduct
acceptable. Employees are more likely to develop good
working relationships with managers who display
values and attitudes that are similar to the values and
attitudes of the employees [27].
Previous meta-analytic research studies showed
that competence, benevolence, and integrity can be
used to predict different types of trust [9,20]. Colquitt
et al. [9] showed that integrity is a particularly
important antecedent of vertical (employee-manager)
trust. Previous qualitative critical incident studies
showed that employees mentioned benevolence and
integrity incidents more often than competence
incidents when describing trust in their managers
[20,21]. Employees that are treated fairly, with respect
and dignity, perceive their managers as benevolent and,
therefore, reliable or trustworthy [20].
Wasti et al. [36] showed that culture affects the
dimensions of horizontal trust. Chinese employees
reported that competence, benevolence, and integrity
were important characteristics for co-workers; Turkish
employees only reported that benevolence was an
important characteristic for co-workers. Wasti et al.
[36] concluded that the differences might have been
due to differences in the levels of interaction in the
groups of employees.
Tan and Lim [31] used the model by Mayer et al.
[23] to show that perceptions of benevolence and
integrity were related to horizontal trust between
co-workers, while perceptions of competence were not
related to horizontal trust between co-workers.
McAllister [24] showed that there co-worker
competence was not related to horizontal co-worker
trust. The studies showed that perceived benevolence
and integrity may play a more important role in
predicting horizontal trust than perceived competence
[20].
Previous studies were rarely concerned with
vertical trust between managers and employees.
However, managers rely on employees to complete
work tasks. Employee competence is an important
element of a manager’s evaluation of an employee’s
performance. As a result, competence is important for
establishing vertical trust between managers and
employees. Schoorman et al. [28] showed that the
extent to which managers delegate responsibilities to
employees depends upon competence more than from
the other dimensions of trust. Wells and Kipnis [37]
also showed that competence is the most important
antecedent of vertical trust between managers and
employees.
3. METHODOLOGY
3.1 The Company
The study was conducted at Gaia, a lingerie
company in Białystok. Białystok is a city in the
Podlaskie Voivodeship province of northeast Poland.
Lingerie production in the Podlaskie Voivodeship
province dates back to the 1950s. At that time, lingerie
was manufactured by a cooperative of about 5,000
workers. Gaia was founded in 1998. At that time, some
of the cooperative workers started the company, to test
their prowess in the new laissez-faire economy.
The company manufactures high quality women's
lingerie for middle-to-low and middle-to-high market
segments. The company cooperates with Polish
retailers. The firm also exports lingerie to Europe (the
Czech Republic, Lithuania, Russia, the Ukraine,
Denmark, Finland and Greece), Asia, and the US [38].
Frequent changes in fashion make it imperative
for the firm to maintain a market-oriented attitude.
Gaia specializes in plus-size lingerie. The plus-size
market segment has been neglected because the
customer group is fairly difficult to satisfy. As a result,
the company must update its products by introducing
new designs and using modern technologies. For
example, the company launched a ‘silver collection’,
which uses fabrics that contain silver ions embedded in
a polymer fibre. The new fabric provides antibacterial
protection (Trevira Bioactive® technology). Gaia has
an ISO quality certification, as well as other
certification, which demonstrate the company’s
integrity and financial responsibility.
The company employs 120 workers. The vast
majority of the workers are women. They work as
designers, tailors, corset-makers, sewing technologists,
and sewing machine operators. However, a shortage of
skilled workers, particularly in the peripheral regions
of Poland, is hampering the growth of the company. In
the Podlaskie Voivodeship province, the problem is
partly due to the fact that there are not many vocational
schools. Three years ago, one of the city’s secondary
schools extended its vocational education program by
creating a class for lingerie industry technicians.
However, experienced designers are still in high
demand.
The lingerie industry is constantly changing. As a
result, the success of the company depends upon the
K. Krot and D. Lewicka: The Importance of Trust in Manager-Employee Relationships 227
experience and hidden competencies of the staff;
human resources make a difference for companies in
the lingerie industry. Experienced competent workers
are the company’s greatest asset. Human resource
issues are the company’s greatest hindrance to growth
and development.
Lingerie production, in general, is based upon a
high level of technological and product innovation [39].
The competitive ability of the company depends upon
the qualifications and commitment of its employees.
As a result, vertical trust between managers and
employees is a key to the company’s success.
3.1 Measurement Methods
Seppanen et al., [29] showed that previous research
studies use many different methods to measure trust.
Most of the studies do not use replication. Most of the
studies create new measurement methods. Studies that
use measurement methods from others studies generally
modify the methods to meet their specific needs. The
issue may be due to the fact that previous research studies
use many different concepts to describe trust.
Previous research studies showed that there are three
types of trust in an organizational environment:
horizontal trust between co-workers, vertical trust
between employees and managers, and vertical trust
between managers and employees. Tzafrir and Gur
[34]used a questionnaire with two different scales, the
Trust Assessment Scale by Wichita State University and
Tzafrir and Dolan’s [34,40] trust scale, to measure the
three types of trust. The both scales have been adjusted
for working conditions in Poland. The questionnaire
asked the respondents to answer four groups of questions.
Some of the questions were related to demographics. The
rest of the questions were related to horizontal trust (24
items), vertical trust between employees and managers
(14 items), and vertical trust between managers and
employees (18 items). The questions used five-point
Likert scales (1 = strongly disagree, 5 = strongly agree)
to measure the three dimensions of trust: competence,
benevolence, and integrity.
Wells and Kipnis [37] used open-ended questions
to measure trust. They asked employees to describe
why they trusted their managers. They also asked
managers to describe why they trusted their employees.
The employees primarily described personal reasons.
The managers described both job-related issues and
personal reasons. Study results showed that the three
dimensions of trust may have different roles in
different types of relationships. Study results showed
that the importance of the three dimensions may also
vary with the characteristics of the relationships:
duration, familiarity, and type of cooperation. Study
results showed that trust is a dynamic aspect of
relationships [7], which is built and fostered through
positive mutual interactions.
The aim of this study is to determine the affects of
the three dimensions of trust (competence,
benevolence, and integrity) on the three types of trust
(horizontal trust, vertical trust between employees and
managers, and vertical trust between managers and
employees) in organizational environments. Figure 1
shows the research model for this study.
Source: Authors
Figure 1: The research model
The research model assumes that the nature of
trust varies in different types of relationships. For
example, in horizontal relationships, integrity may be
more important than competence and benevolence. In
vertical relationships between employees and
managers, benevolence and integrity may be more
important than competence. In vertical relationships
between managers and employees, competence and
integrity may be more important than benevolence.
The study used a Likert-scale questionnaire to
measure the three dimensions of trust for the three
types of trust relationships. The entire company was
asked to participate in the survey. Questionnaires were
completed and returned by 84 managers and
employees, 70% of the company. The sample size was
large enough to create an accurate research model for
describing the characteristics of Gaia employees and
drawing reliable conclusions.
Table 1 shows survey results for the demographic
questions in the questionnaire. Most of the
questionnaires were completed by women. In lingerie
companies, most of the employees (from sales
managers, to production technologists, and sewing
machine operators) are women. Gaia employs 115
women, 95.8% of their employees. Therefore, the
gender characteristics of the sample accurately
represent the gender characteristics of the entire
company. The other characteristics of the sample
accurately represent the other characteristics of the
entire company, as well.
The study also asked the managers and employees
to describe their general attitudes toward their
co-workers, employees, and managers.
Competence
Benevolence
Integrity Vertical trust between
managers and employees
Horizontal trust
Vertical trust between
employees and managers
228 International Journal of Electronic Business Management, Vol. 10, No. 3 (2012)
Table 1: Demographic characteristics of the survey respondents (percents)
Sex Education Seniority
female 95.3 compulsory 2.4 up to 3 years 11.3
male 4.7 vocational 43.5 4-8 years 35.0
Age A-level 43.5 9-13 years 37.5
<25 2.3 university degree 10.6 14-18 years 12.5
25-35 25.9 Type of contract more than 19 years 3.7
36-45 40.0 indefinite-term contract 71.4 Position
44-55 29.4 fixed-term contract 27.4 non-executive 77.6
>56 2.3 probationary contract 1.2 executive 22.4
Source: Authors’ research.
4. RESULTS
4.1 Reliability Test Results
The survey results were used to measure the
affects of the three dimensions of trust (competence,
benevolence, and integrity) on the three types of
organizational trust (horizontal trust between
co-workers (HT), vertical trust between employees and
managers (VTE), and vertical trust between managers
and employees (VTM)) in the company.
Cronbach’s alpha values were used to assess the
reliability of the three dependent variables. Table 2
shows the Cronbach’s alpha values for the three
dimensions of organizational trust. Cronbach’s alpha
values range from 0.69 to 0.92. The Cronbach’s alpha
value for integrity in horizontal trust was lowest, but
still acceptable. The Cronbach’s alpha values indicate
that the three dependent variables were reliable
[reference needed].
Table 2: Cronbach’s alpha values for the dimensions of trust
HT VTE VTM
Cronbach’s alpha Mean Cronbach’s alpha Mean Cronbach’s alpha Mean
Competence 0.856912 3.83 0.720265 3.88 0.810069 3.95
Benevolence 0 .814705 3.76 0.876995 3.45 0.928033 4.04
Integrity 0.693769 3.56 0.734326 3.63 0.917540 4.13
Source: Authors’ research.
4.2 Questionnaire Results
Questionnaire results showed that VTM (vertical
trust between managers and employees) was highest
(mean 4.05). VTE (vertical trust between employees
and managers) was lowest (mean 3.62). HT (horizontal
trust between co-workers) was slightly higher (mean
3.66).
For HT, items related to competence and
reliability were rated lowest. For VTM, items related to
integrity were rated highest (mean 4.13). For VTE,
items related to confidence in managers were rated
lowest (mean 3.65). For VTE items related to
confidence in managers, items related to willingness to
take employee interests into consideration during
decision-making processes were rated lowest (mean
3.45).
The results show that employees must
demonstrate competence and reliability in their
relationships with co-workers. The results show that
employees must demonstrate integrity in their
relationships with managers. The results show that
managers demonstrate benevolence, consideration, and
sensitivity toward their employees in their
decision-making processes. They must make decisions
that consider the needs and interests of their
employees.
4.3 Analysis Results
Tables 3-5 show analysis results. Table 3 shows
correlations between the three dimensions of trust and
the three types of trust: horizontal trust, vertical trust
between employees and managers, and vertical trust
between managers and employees. Table 3 results
show that the three dimensions of trust are related to
the three types of trust (p <0.05000).
Table 3: Correlations
Mean SD HT VTE VTM
Competence HT 30.65882 4.926974 0.468304
Benevolence HT 30.04706 4.758216 0.602153
Integrity HT 14.25882 2.960667 0.639750
Competence VTE 15.50588 3.010393 0.669571
K. Krot and D. Lewicka: The Importance of Trust in Manager-Employee Relationships 229
Mean SD HT VTE VTM
Benevolence VTE 20.68235 4.307280 0.713985
Integrity VTE 10.87059 2.202748 0.700989
Competence VTM 19.77778 3.227739 0.734199
Benevolence VTM 24.22222 3.993459 0.807775
Integrity VTM 28.88889 4.027682 0.847892
Source: Authors’ research.
Table 4 shows the effects of the three dimensions
of trust on the three types of trust. Competence affects
trust less than benevolence and integrity. Competence
affects trust between co-workers (r = 0.47) less than
trust between employees and managers (r = 0.67) and
trust between managers and employees (r = 0.73).
Integrity affects trust between co-workers (r = 0.64)
and trust between managers and employees (r = 0.85)
more than competence and benevolence. Benevolence
affects trust between employees and managers (r =
0.71) more than competence and integrity.
Benevolence affects trust between co-workers (r = 0.60)
and trust between managers and employees (r = 0.81)
less than integrity.
Table 4: The effects of the three dimensions of trust
Level of
effect HT VTE VTM
I Integrity
(r=0.639750)
Benevolence
(r=0.713985)
Integrity
(r=0.847892)
II Benevolence
(r=0.602153)
Integrity
(r=0.700989)
Benevolence
(r=0.807775)
III Competence
(r=0.468304)
Competence
(r=0.669571)
Competence
(r=0.734199)
Source: Authors’ research
The results show that integrity and benevolence
are most important for building trust in an organization.
The results show that integrity (honesty and fairness) is
most important for building trust between co-workers
or between managers and employees. The results show
that benevolence is most important for building trust
between employees and managers. Employees are
inclined trust their managers, if they show interest and
concern for their welfare.
Table 5 shows Spearman rank correlation (R)
results. The results show the dimensions of trust that
were most closely associated with the overall means
for the different types of trust. Higher correlation
coefficients indicate greater effects. All of the
correlation coefficients were statistically significant.
The results indicate that all of the dimensions of trust
had effects on the the different types of trust.
Integrity had the greatest effect on horizontal trust.
Two questions were used to measure the effect of
integrity on horizontal trust: honesty (r = 0.63) and the
ability to talk with colleagues (r = 0.49). Benevolence
also had an effect on horizontal trust. Two questions
were used to measure the effect of benevolence on
horizontal trust: the belief that colleagues wish them
well (r = 0.40) and the belief that colleagues would
help them (r = 0.46). An additional dimension,
closeness, also had an effect on horizontal trust. One
question was used to measure the effect of closeness on
horizontal trust: the belief that everyday business
meetings were pleasant (r = 0.50).
Table 5: Spearman rank correlations
Spearman
rank
correlations
Horizontal trust
If I have trouble with anything on
the work, I can safely talk about my
concerns with my colleagues and
get advice.
0.49
I am confident that my colleagues
wish me well. 0.40
I am certain that I would get help
from my colleagues. 0.46
Daily business meetings with
colleagues are a pleasant part of the
day.
0.50
I am confident about the honesty of
my colleagues. 0.63
Vertical trust employees in managers
Employees involved in the
implementation of the project are
informed about the various stages
and know what they seek.
0.63
My boss is interested in my needs
and problems, if they occur. 0.69
Overall, in my company my boss
keeps his/her promises. 0.56
I believe that the motives and
intentions of my employer are good. 0.62
Vertical trust managers in employees
My staff performs their duties
honestly. 0.74
I believe that my employees are
honest. 0.78
I believe that the motives and
intentions of my employees are
good.
0.77
I can always count on my
employees. 0.70
My staff and I make a good team. 0.76
Source: Authors’ research.
230 International Journal of Electronic Business Management, Vol. 10, No. 3 (2012)
Benevolence had the greatest effect on vertical
trust between employees and managers. Two questions
were used to measure the effects of benevolence on
vertical trust between employees and managers: belief
that managers are concerned for their welfare (r = 0.69)
and belief that managers inform them (r = 0.63).
Integrity also had an effect on vertical trust between
employees and managers. One question was used to
measure vertical trust between employees and
managers: belief that managers keep their promises (r
= 0.56).
Integrity had the greatest effect on vertical trust
between managers and employees. Three questions
were used to measure the effect of integrity on vertical
trust between managers and employees: fairness and
honesty (r = 0.78), efficient fulfilment of tasks (r =
0.74), and the belief that employees be relied upon in
difficult situations (r = 0.70). Benevolence also had an
effect on vertical trust between managers and
employees. One question was used to measure the
effect of benevolence on vertical trust between
managers and employees: the belief that employees’
motives and intentions are good (r = 0.77).
5. CONCLUSION
Trust takes a long time to build and that trust can
be easily damaged. Other studies showed that trust is
multidimensional and that there are different types of
intra-organizational trust relationships.
The aim of this study was to determine the effects
of three dimensions of trust (competence, benevolence
and integrity) on the different types of
intra-organisational relationships. The study
determined the effects of competence, benevolence,
and integrity on horizontal and vertical trust
relationships.
A survey was used to confirm that the nature of
trust can vary for different types of relationships within
a company. Survey results showed that there were
significant differences between the effects of the three
dimensions of trust on three types of relationships
between employees at Gaia, a lingerie company in
Białystok, Poland.
Study results bring a new dynamic to the literature
on trust formation. Study results show that the
dimensions of trust are different for horizontal
(co-worker) and vertical (manager-employee or
employee-manager) trust relationships. Study results
also show that the ways that trust are built are different
for horizontal (co-worker) and vertical
(manager-employee and employee-manager) trust
relationships. Employees have different expectations
for their colleagues than they have for their managers.
Study results provide a valuable contribution to the
body of knowledge related to trust management. As a
result study results can be used to build, maintain, and
strengthen intra-organizational trust relationships.
Previous research studies focused on one type of
intra-organizational trust relationship (horizontal trust
relationships between co-workers, vertical trust
relationships between managers and employees, or
vertical trust relationships between employees and
managers). This study provided a comprehensive
analysis of the three types of intra-organizational trust
relationships. As a result, this study provided holistic
insight into the dimensions of trust and the effects of
the dimensions of trust on intra-organizational trust
relationships.
Study results for Gaia, a lingerie company in
Białystok, Poland showed that integrity was the most
important dimension of trust in horizontal relationships.
Tan and Lim [31], McAllister [24] Knoll and Gill [20]
published similar findings. Modern work teams and
co-responsibility for completing tasks made integrity
the most important dimension of trust. In particular,
work tasks at Gaia required commitment, precision,
and diligence. The requirements made integrity an
essential dimension of trust.
Study results for Gaia were similar for vertical
(manager-employee) trust relationships. Integrity was
the most important dimension of trust in vertical
(manager-employee) trust relationships. In contrast,
previous research studies showed that competence was
the most important dimension of trust in vertical
(manager-employee) trust relationships [28,37]. The
difference may be due to the duration of the
intra-organizational relationships in the studies.
Bulent [7] showed that trust is dynamic.
Competence is the most important dimension of trust
in the first phase of intra-organizational trust
relationships. The skills and knowledge of employees
are visible parts of vertical (manager-employee)
relationships that are easy to verify, even during
recruitment. After verifying competence, managers
apparently use deeper dimensions of trust (integrity) to
evaluate employees. In contrast, benevolence does not
develop in vertical (manager-employee) relationships.
Study results for Gaia were different for vertical
(employee-manager) relationships. Benevolence was
the most important dimension of trust in vertical
(employee-manager) relationships. Previous research
studies [9,21] published similar results. Employees
primarily evaluate their managers based upon their
interpersonal skills. Employees believe that managers
should take care of them and protect them. They also
believe that managers should take care of their interests
and needs, resolve differences, and take care of issues.
Companies that operate in competitive
environments undergo continual changes.
Consequently, their intra-organizational relationships
change, as well. Trust is a key element of
intra-organizational relationships. Study results show
that the dimensions of trust may change as
intra-organizational relationships are established and
then mature. Therefore, it is important to identify
K. Krot and D. Lewicka: The Importance of Trust in Manager-Employee Relationships 231
changes in the nature of trust at different stages in
intra-organizational relationships.
Study results show that, in new organizations,
competence may play a greater role than benevolence
or integrity in establishing intra-organizational
relationships. Study results show that, in mature
organizations, integrity may play a greater role than
competence and benevolence in maintaining
intra-organizational relationships. Study results can be
used to establish, monitor, and control
intra-organizational trust relationships at other
companies. Future research studies can be used to
verify and extend the results for different industries,
companies, managers, and employees.
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ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Katarzyna Krot is lecturer at the Bialystok University
of Technology, Department of Management. Doctor
degree in management Department of Management at
Warsaw University (2006). She has taken part in many
research projects that covers quality, healthcare
management and marketing. She is an author of more
than 50 papers presented at international conferences
and a book entitled Quality and Marketing of Medical
Services published by Wolters Kluwer in 2008. She is a
head of two research projects financed by Polish
Ministry of Science and Higher Education.
K. Krot is a member of the International Economics
Development and Research Center and Social Council
of National Health Fund in Białystok.
Dagmara Lewicka is a professor at the University of
Science and Technology, Faculty of Management since
1992. She is a free-lance Trainer and Consultant. Her
research area covers HRM, organisational behaviour,
and public relations, among others. She has
participated in many research projects, e.g., ‘Relations
between the organisational culture and personnel
procedures’, ‘Competence model as a tool of human
resources management strategy’, and ‘Evaluation of
status and quality of human resources management
solutions in companies in knowledge economy
conditions’. She is a head of three research projects
financed by Polish Ministry of Science and Higher
Education.
D. Lewicka is a member of the International
Economics Development and Research Center.
(Received May 2012, revised August 2012, accepted
September 2012)
K. Krot and D. Lewicka: The Importance of Trust in Manager-Employee Relationships 233
信任在管理者與員工關係的重要性
Katarzyna Krot1*、Dagmara Lewicka2
1比亞韋斯托克理工大學管理系
波蘭比亞韋斯托克鄉村 45A
2AGH 科技大學管理學院
波蘭克拉科夫阿密茨凱維奇大道 30
摘要
信任是一個複雜且具多層面的現象。組織內的信任包括著不同類型的專業工作者間的關
係：同事間的關係或是員工、直屬主管及管理者間的關係。組織內的信任可以是個人人
際關係或是具機構性的。為了衡量、解釋及瞭解在組織裡的這種現象，除了信任的類型
外，我們必須探討信任的構面：能力（competence）、善意（benevolence）及正直
（integrity）。這也意味著在不同類型的關係下，信任扮演不同的角色。因此，本文的目
的是在衡量組織信任的能力、善意及正直構面不同關係下的正確性。其中信任類型包含
水平信任、員工對管理者(下對上)的垂直信任及管理者對員工(上對下)的垂直信任。本
研究的結果顯示在 Gaia 公司裡，「能力」構面最不影響所有類型的信任。另外「正直」
在同事間是最重要的構面。而「善意」構面則支配著員工對管理者的信任。
關鍵詞：水平信任、垂直信任、信任的構面、波蘭
（*聯絡人：katarzynakrot@gmail.com）
