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Organizational ethical climates and employee's trust in colleagues, the supervisor, and the organization

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  • Nedkovski, Vojkan
  • Guerci, Marco
  • De Battisti, Francesca
  • Siletti, Elena

Abstract

Organizational ethical climate (OEC) is an important aspect of the organizational context that has generated a consolidated stream of research. However, the literature exploring its impact on organizational trust has three key limitations: scarcity, fragmentation, and under-theorization. In an attempt to address these limitations, we examine the effects of employees' perceptions of three types of OEC — benevolent, principled and egoistic — and organizational trust in different referents – colleagues, the supervisor, and the organization. We develop a set of baseline hypotheses on the effects of three types of OEC on trust in colleagues, in the supervisor, and in the organization. Drawing on Attribution Theory and Social Exchange Theory, we develop specific hypotheses on the relative strengths of those associations. The hypotheses are tested on a large-scale, probabilistic sample of 6000 employees in six EU countries. The paper concludes by discussing the findings, presenting their practical implications, and proposing avenues for future research.

Suggested Citation

  • Nedkovski, Vojkan & Guerci, Marco & De Battisti, Francesca & Siletti, Elena, 2017. "Organizational ethical climates and employee's trust in colleagues, the supervisor, and the organization," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 71(C), pages 19-26.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jbrese:v:71:y:2017:i:c:p:19-26
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jbusres.2016.11.004
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    2. Seok-Youn Oh, 2022. "Effect of Ethical Climate in Hotel Companies on Organizational Trust and Organizational Citizenship Behavior," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(13), pages 1-18, June.
    3. Braganza, Ashley & Chen, Weifeng & Canhoto, Ana & Sap, Serap, 2021. "Productive employment and decent work: The impact of AI adoption on psychological contracts, job engagement and employee trust," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 131(C), pages 485-494.
    4. Keren Shua, 2023. "The relationship between school ethical climate and school effectiveness in Israel 2020," Academicus International Scientific Journal, Entrepreneurship Training Center Albania, issue 27, pages 67-91, January.
    5. Garg, Garima & Sewak, Mayank & Sharma, Anurag, 2022. "Learning from Older Siblings: Impact On Subsidiary Performance," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 31(3).
    6. Yi-Ting Lin & Nien-Chi Liu, 2019. "Corporate Citizenship and Employee Outcomes: Does a High-Commitment Work System Matter?," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 156(4), pages 1079-1097, June.
    7. Xiaolei Zou & Xiaoxi Chen & Fengling Chen & Chuxin Luo & Hongyan Liu, 2020. "The Influence of Negative Workplace Gossip on Knowledge Sharing: Insight from the Cognitive Dissonance Perspective," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(8), pages 1-17, April.
    8. Abalala, Turki Shjaan & Islam, Mazharul & Alam, Md. Mahmudul, 2021. "Impact of ethical practices on small and medium enterprises’ performance in Saudi Arabia: An Partial Least Squares-Structural Equation Modeling analysis," OSF Preprints xg3bf, Center for Open Science.
    9. Nadežda Jankelová & Zuzana Skorková & Zuzana Joniaková & Ildikó Némethová, 2021. "A Diverse Organizational Culture and Its Impact on Innovative Work Behavior of Municipal Employees," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(6), pages 1-16, March.
    10. Seonggoo Ji & Ihsan Ullah Jan, 2020. "Antecedents and Consequences of Frontline Employee’s Trust-in-Supervisor and Trust-in-Coworker," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(2), pages 1-17, January.
    11. Kim, Andrea & Moon, Jinhee & Shin, Jiseon, 2019. "Justice perceptions, perceived insider status, and gossip at work: A social exchange perspective," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 97(C), pages 30-42.
    12. Nadežda Jankelová & Juraj Mišún, 2021. "Key Competencies of Agricultural Managers in the Acute Stage of the COVID-19 Crisis," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 11(1), pages 1-17, January.

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