Perceived Managerial (Remote Leader) Trustworthiness as a Moderator for the Relationship between Overall Fairness and Perceived Supervisory (Direct Leader) Trustworthiness

Abstract

We investigate the moderating effect of perceived managerial (remote leader) trustworthiness on the relationship between overall fairness and perceived supervisory (direct leader) trustworthiness by integrating fairness heuristic theory and attribution theory. By conducting a field study (Study 1) and an experimental study (Study 2), we found that perceived managerial trustworthiness attenuated the relationship between overall fairness and perceived supervisory trustworthiness. Additionally, pay-for-performance system functions, as a control variable, were positively related to both forms of perceived trustworthiness (Study 2). Our findings advance leader trust/trustworthiness research by proffering a novel view of perceived managerial trustworthiness as a moderator for a psychological process leading to perceived supervisory trustworthiness, rather than merely operating as a factor in parallel to perceived supervisory trustworthiness. Our findings advance fairness research by being the first to identify perceived managerial trustworthiness as a moderator for the fairness heuristic process. The current research also provides practical implications for managing perceived leader trustworthiness.