Trust in leaders from an employee perspective: A multiple case study

Trust is an important element for leaders to develop with employees in an organization but it was surprising how little research has addressed the issue from the perspective of the employee. The Leader-Member Exchange (LMX) theory was discussed to understand the relationship dynamics of the leader and employee. The Personal Construct theory was discussed to understand how the employee creates perceptions of trust. A qualitative study was conducted using a multiple case study design and in-depth interviews of senior level leaders as employees in technology organizations. The questions were designed to explore the topic of trust in leaders from the employee perspective. This study produced common descriptors of trust in leaders that are important to the employee. The employees interviewed described how trust in a leader is created and what factors, behaviors, or experiences contribute to the creation of trust.