Identity-based trust as a mediator of the effects of organizational identification on employee attitudes: An empirical study (2012)

This research paper empirically examined the effects of organizational identification (OID) on organizational trust and the mediating role of trust between OID and job attitudes (turnover intentions and job satisfaction). This study argued organizational identification as one of the antecedents of organizational trust (identity based trust) and trust as a mediator between OID and job attitudes. Time lag design was used in order to minimize common method bias, and exploratory factor analysis was performed for validating the measures in the research context. Regression analyses were used to test the hypotheses on the data set of 250 respondents from public and private sector organizations of Pakistan. Results of the analyses supported all hypotheses. The feeling of oneness and shared goals and objectives of the employees with the organization works as a basis for generating the trust in the organization. The results obtained regarding this relationship were in compliance with the arguments presented by Hogg and Terry (2001). According to our knowledge this is the first study which empirically investigated the mediating role of organizational trust between OID and job attitudes.IntroductionIdentification is a level at which the self concept of a person has the same characteristics as the other identity (organization) with which he/she identifies (Dutton et al. 1994). It refers to a cognitive state and is the knowledge of self with regard to the organization (Rousseau 1998). People who observe organizational identification are actually performing the act of categorizing themselves into social groups (Ashforth and Mael 1989). The role of OID in the well-being of an organization and its members has been recognized since long (e.g. Brown 1969; Hall & Schneider 1972; O'Reilly & Chatman 1986). A considerable number of researchers have shown that high OID increases the probability of high intentions to stay, cooperation with other employees, greater level of in role and extra role performance and increased citizenship behavior (Ashforth & Mael 1989; Cheney 1983; Dutton et al. 1994; Rousseau 1998; Van Dick 2001). In this paper, we developed a connection between organizational identification and trust; where identification was considered as an important trust making mechanism (Borgen 2001).Trust in organization refers to the perceptions of employees regarding the trustworthiness of their organization. The organizational environment is continually observed by the employees while considering the trustworthiness of their organization. The views of organization regarding its employees and their roles are communicated by the organizational processes, and employees will respond to trust relations communicated by the organization (Tan & Tan 2000). The construct of organizational trust has been discussed in burgeoning research work in organizational science but it lacks the systematic attention (Mayer et al. 1995). Lewicki and Bunker (1996) have distinguished between three types of trust and organized them in hierarchical manner. The calculus-based trust is placed at first level, knowledge-based trust at second level, and identity-based trust at third level. However, we are interested in the identity-based trust, which suggests that the trustor fully internalizes the preferences of the other party. The theoretical work in the field of organizational identification has supported the role of trust as mediator between the OID and job attitudes but this relationship has never been tested empirically. Puusa & Tolvanen (2006) have also called for an empirical study for testing this relationship. So, the purpose of this study is two fold. First, to highlight the importance of organizational identification in the development of identity-based trust through theoretical evidence. Second, to empirically demonstrate the mediating role of trust in the relations between OID and job attitudes (job satisfaction and turnover intention). …