Title: Effects of teleworkers' perceptions of superiors' power and trust on their working behaviour: an application of the slippery slope model

Authors: Ingrid Wahl; Manuel Brugger; Christa Walenta

Addresses: Department of Communication, University of Vienna, Kolingasse 14-16/6.60, 1090 Wien, Austria ' FernFH Distance-Learning University of Applied Sciences, Ferdinand Porsche-Ring 3, 2700 Wiener Neustadt, Austria ' FernFH Distance-Learning University of Applied Sciences, Ferdinand Porsche-Ring 3, 2700 Wiener Neustadt, Austria

Abstract: According to work and organisational psychology, both power of superiors and trust in superiors increase compliance. Summarising these results in a straightforward way, the slippery slope model additionally distinguishes between enforced and voluntary compliance. The model's assumptions were tested with an experimental vignette and an online questionnaire in the field of teleworking. The vignette study revealed an interaction effect, showing voluntary compliance to be lowest and enforced compliance to be highest in the condition with powerful and untrustworthy superiors. Data from the questionnaire study showed power of superiors to be positively linked to enforced compliance, and trust in superiors to be positively linked to voluntary compliance and negatively linked to enforced compliance. In both studies, voluntary and enforced compliance mediate the relation of power and trust with counterproductive work behaviour. Results suggest that fostering trust is more promising than showing power, which could be a guiding principle in everyday management.

Keywords: telework; trust; leadership; work compliance; counterproductive work behaviour; telecommuting; remote working; mobile working; monitoring; power.

DOI: 10.1504/IJWI.2023.128858

International Journal of Work Innovation, 2023 Vol.3 No.4, pp.338 - 366

Accepted: 12 Oct 2022
Published online: 07 Feb 2023 *

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