A new propensity to trust scale and its relationship with individual wellbeing: implications for HRM policies and practices

In the on-going debate around HRM and performance there is an argument that greater attention should be paid to understanding the role that employee attitudes, attributes and behaviours play. Emerging research suggests that trust and well-being are two aspects that could contribute to this debate.Research has shown some relationships between trust and well-being. However, this has tended to omit consideration of an individual’s propensity to trust due to lack of suitable measures. This paper explores the relationships between propensity to trust and well-being by means of a study of 458 managers using a newly developed instrument to assess propensity and established well-being scales. Analyses of the results demonstrated a reliable measure of propensity and a range of positive relationships. The potential implications for HR policies and practices of a measure of propensity are discussed. In particular application in the areas of selection and development are highlighted