How does trust in leader influences organizational commitment? A test of a moderated mediation model

This study examines the link between trust in leader, employee silence, and affective, normative, and continuance organizational commitment. Additionally, this study analyzes how employee silence mediates the link between trust in leader and organizational commitment. This study also examines how et...

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Main Authors: Savita S Rai, Navin Kumar Koodamara
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2025-07-01
Series:Acta Psychologica
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0001691825004056
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author Savita S Rai
Navin Kumar Koodamara
author_facet Savita S Rai
Navin Kumar Koodamara
author_sort Savita S Rai
collection DOAJ
description This study examines the link between trust in leader, employee silence, and affective, normative, and continuance organizational commitment. Additionally, this study analyzes how employee silence mediates the link between trust in leader and organizational commitment. This study also examines how ethical leadership moderates the link between trust in leader and employee silence. A cross-sectional quantitative method was adopted to examine the relationship between the constructs. The respondents were public and private sector bank employees located in Southern India. The result reveals that employee silence significantly influences various dimensions of affective commitment, continuance commitment and normative commitment of the employee. There exists a significant relationship between trust in leader and normative commitment. However, the study had found insignificant relationship between trust in a leader and affective commitment and continuance commitment. Interestingly, the results indicate that employee silence significantly mediates the relationship between trust in the leader and affective commitment as well as continuance commitment. Moreover, ethical leadership significantly moderates the relationship between trust in a leader and employee silence. The findings imply that when ethical leadership is high, trust in the leader helps reduce the employees' silent behavior. It is observed that the organization can address the reason for the existence of various motives for an employee's commitment when they focus on trust in the leader and the employee's silent behavior. Another finding of the study states that organizations must groom immediate supervisors' ethical leadership qualities to enhance the relationship between supervisor and subordinate. The presence of silence behavior among employees' is very challenging, as it is unobservable. It is also crucial to identify its presence as employee silence is detrimental to the organization. This study contributes to a better understanding of the relationship between trust in a leader and employee silence and its consequences in shaping various dimensions of organizational commitment in the context of the banking sector.
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spelling doaj-art-c8bffb361d3e4a01b7962b8ceea7c3032025-08-20T02:06:19ZengElsevierActa Psychologica0001-69182025-07-0125710509210.1016/j.actpsy.2025.105092How does trust in leader influences organizational commitment? A test of a moderated mediation modelSavita S Rai0Navin Kumar Koodamara1Manipal Institute of Management, Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE), Karnataka, Manipal 576104, IndiaCorresponding author.; Manipal Institute of Management, Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE), Karnataka, Manipal 576104, IndiaThis study examines the link between trust in leader, employee silence, and affective, normative, and continuance organizational commitment. Additionally, this study analyzes how employee silence mediates the link between trust in leader and organizational commitment. This study also examines how ethical leadership moderates the link between trust in leader and employee silence. A cross-sectional quantitative method was adopted to examine the relationship between the constructs. The respondents were public and private sector bank employees located in Southern India. The result reveals that employee silence significantly influences various dimensions of affective commitment, continuance commitment and normative commitment of the employee. There exists a significant relationship between trust in leader and normative commitment. However, the study had found insignificant relationship between trust in a leader and affective commitment and continuance commitment. Interestingly, the results indicate that employee silence significantly mediates the relationship between trust in the leader and affective commitment as well as continuance commitment. Moreover, ethical leadership significantly moderates the relationship between trust in a leader and employee silence. The findings imply that when ethical leadership is high, trust in the leader helps reduce the employees' silent behavior. It is observed that the organization can address the reason for the existence of various motives for an employee's commitment when they focus on trust in the leader and the employee's silent behavior. Another finding of the study states that organizations must groom immediate supervisors' ethical leadership qualities to enhance the relationship between supervisor and subordinate. The presence of silence behavior among employees' is very challenging, as it is unobservable. It is also crucial to identify its presence as employee silence is detrimental to the organization. This study contributes to a better understanding of the relationship between trust in a leader and employee silence and its consequences in shaping various dimensions of organizational commitment in the context of the banking sector.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0001691825004056Trust in leaderEmployee silenceOrganiz-ational commitmentAffective commitmentContinuance commitmentEthical leadership
spellingShingle Savita S Rai
Navin Kumar Koodamara
How does trust in leader influences organizational commitment? A test of a moderated mediation model
Acta Psychologica
Trust in leader
Employee silence
Organiz-ational commitment
Affective commitment
Continuance commitment
Ethical leadership
title How does trust in leader influences organizational commitment? A test of a moderated mediation model
title_full How does trust in leader influences organizational commitment? A test of a moderated mediation model
title_fullStr How does trust in leader influences organizational commitment? A test of a moderated mediation model
title_full_unstemmed How does trust in leader influences organizational commitment? A test of a moderated mediation model
title_short How does trust in leader influences organizational commitment? A test of a moderated mediation model
title_sort how does trust in leader influences organizational commitment a test of a moderated mediation model
topic Trust in leader
Employee silence
Organiz-ational commitment
Affective commitment
Continuance commitment
Ethical leadership
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0001691825004056
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