Influence of personality and psychological capital on managers’ trust in their direct–reports

South African Journal of Business Management

 
 
Field Value
 
Title Influence of personality and psychological capital on managers’ trust in their direct–reports
 
Creator Zaayman, Christopher H. Motala, Tasneem
 
Subject Business; Industrial Psychology; Workplace Improvement; Workplace Culture; Organisational Performance; Personality; Trust direct report; manager; performance; personality; Psycap; relationship; trust; trustworthiness.
Description Purpose: This article investigates the influence of a manager’s psychological capital (Psycap) and Personality Traits, based on the Five Factor Model (FFM), on their Propensity to Trust their direct-reports. While most literature focuses on subordinates’ trust in managers, this study explores the reverse. It stems from the need to enhance organisational performance by improving trust between managers and subordinates.Design/methodology/approach: The study uses a quantitative approach with established scales: Nyhan and Marlowe’s Trust Measurement Scale, the TIPI Scale for personality, and the Psycap Questionnaire-12. Data were primarily collected from managers in South African manufacturing firms.Findings/results: Psycap was the strongest driver of trust, showing a significant positive link to managers’ trust in direct-reports. Agreeableness and Emotional Stability show significant positive relationships with trust, though at a lower confidence level, while Conscientiousness, Extraversion, and Openness do not show significant links.Practical implications: The findings highlight the need for targeted training to improve managers’ interpersonal, emotional regulation, and trust-building skills. Performance evaluations should consider trust-building behaviours and promotion policies could be refined based on the research findings, to ensure that candidates who are suitable for leading successful teams are placed in managerial positions.Originality/value: The study contributes nuanced insights by challenging traditional perspectives on Personality Traits and Trust, emphasising the vital role of Psycap in trust propensity. The study shows that investing in employee Psycap development is crucial. Employees with higher Psycap levels tend to trust their direct-reports more, which helps build a positive organisational culture that prioritises psychological well-being.
 
Publisher AOSIS
 
Contributor
Date 2024-12-10
 
Type info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion —
Format text/html application/epub+zip text/xml application/pdf
Identifier 10.4102/sajbm.v55i1.4673
 
Source South African Journal of Business Management; Vol 55, No 1 (2024); 11 pages 2078-5976 2078-5585
 
Language eng
 
Relation
The following web links (URLs) may trigger a file download or direct you to an alternative webpage to gain access to a publication file format of the published article:

https://sajbm.org/index.php/sajbm/article/view/4673/3185 https://sajbm.org/index.php/sajbm/article/view/4673/3186 https://sajbm.org/index.php/sajbm/article/view/4673/3187 https://sajbm.org/index.php/sajbm/article/view/4673/3188
 
Coverage South African Organisations 21st Century, 2023 Managers in Businesses in South Africa
Rights Copyright (c) 2024 Christopher H. Zaayman, Tasneem Motala https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
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