The significance of direct-leader and co-worker trust on turnover intentions: A cross-cultural study

Abstract

This study examines the relative strength of the relationships of an employee's affect-based and cognition-based trust of their direct leader and co-workers to the employee's turnover intentions in four countries. Surveys were completed by 554 participants; the sample consisted of 81 Russians, 113 Poles, 155 Americans and 205 Turks. It was found that the employee's affect-based trust of their direct leader was more strongly associated (negatively) with turnover intentions than was the employee's affect-based trust of their co-workers for our combined international sample; however, the association of cognition-based trust of the direct leader and cognition-based trust of their co-workers to turnover intentions did not differ. This study looked at the moderating effect of culture. We found that in-group collectivism moderated the relationship of both affect-based trust of co-workers and cognition-based trust of co-workers to turnover intentions.