A longitudinal study of the role of trust during change

Abstract

The objective of the study was to explore factors that impact on trust relationships in a sample of South African organisations. A survey on trust was administered to a convenience sample of 484 respondents in the public and private economic sectors in South Africa. Parametric and non-parametric analyses were used to examine differences in trust between economic sectors and sample periods. Public sector participants differed from private sector employees in their levels of trust, compared to those in other sectors. Specifically, measures on the dimensions of change and organisational trust were significantly lower than expected. Senior employees or those at higher job levels experienced trust more positively over time. Higher trust levels were apparent between colleagues and between employees and their immediate managers than between employees and top management.