Title: Supervisory behaviour and employee work engagement: interpersonal and institutional trust as mediator

Authors: Forbis Ahamed; Arif Hassan

Addresses: Department of Business Administration, International Islamic University Malaysia, P.O. Box 10, 50728 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia ' Department of Business Administration, International Islamic University Malaysia, P.O. Box 10, 50728 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Abstract: This paper examines the mediating role of interpersonal and organisational trust in the relationship of transformational leadership style with employees' work engagement. A sample of 395 bank employees rated their immediate supervisors' leadership behaviour, interpersonal and organisational trust and work engagement. The results confirmed all the hypotheses. Transformational leadership was significantly associated with interpersonal and intuitional trust as well as work engagement. Both forms of trust also predicted work engagement. The test of mediation effect of trust in the relationship between transformational leadership style and employees work engagement indicated the full mediation effects of both forms of trust, i.e. interpersonal and institutional trust.

Keywords: transformational leadership; employee engagement; supervisory behaviour; interpersonal trust; institutional trust; employee involvement; bank employees; banking industry; work engagement.

DOI: 10.1504/JGBA.2014.063866

Journal for Global Business Advancement, 2014 Vol.7 No.2, pp.112 - 124

Published online: 30 Apr 2015 *

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