The relationship of employee empowerment and commitment to the organization to interpersonal- and system-level trust

Recent scandals at several large corporations have shaken, and in some cases, destroyed the trust that many employees have in senior leadership and for the organizations in which they work. However, research has shown that employee trust is essential for interpersonal relationships and organizational effectiveness. This research study examined the extent to which employee empowerment and employee commitment to the organization are related to interpersonal-level and system-level trust in the organization. An on-line survey designed to assess organizational commitment, empowerment, and trust was administered to a random sample of 2000 salaried employees at a Fortune 500 manufacturing organization in the United States. Of the 2000 employees sampled, 1436 responded to the survey.; To begin with, it was determined that employees view trust in their manager (interpersonal-level trust) as a different construct than trust in the systems in the organization (system-level trust, e.g. compensation, performance appraisal, and human resource policies). The results indicated that employees who possess higher levels of commitment to the organization also possess higher levels of interpersonal-level trust and system-level trust. Employees who feel empowered in their work environment also tend to have higher levels of interpersonal-level trust and system-level trust. Additionally, it was determined that a number of demographic characteristics of employees (e.g., age, educational level, years of company service) influenced the relationships between commitment, empowerment, and the different forms of trust manifested by employees.