An investigation into the facilitators of the trustworthiness of managers

D.Litt. et Phil.With the emergence of what has been referred to as the "post-industrial" society, the last decade has seen employer-employee work relationships undergoing a high level of change, as organisations restructure in an attempt to survive in the emerging global economy. Largely due to this, the nature of work has changed, placing tension on intra-organisational trust. As organisations readjust in an attempt to face the future they often find that intra-organisational trust is in a crisis, at a time when emphasis is being placed on the need for trust-based relationships. This renewed focus, and paradox that intra-organisational trust faces, has, on a multidisciplinary basis, caught the attentions of numerous academics, resulting in numerous attempts to understand aspects of interpersonal trust. In this study some of these attempts are considered in proposing a model for intra-organisational trust and certain aspects of this model are tested empirically. To achieve this, a multifaceted approach is employed, within a South African financial institution, whereby triangulation is used through gathering both quantitative and qualitative data. A research instrument is developed, by means of which the facilitators of trustworthiness, as proposed in terms of a model for trust and percieved by respondents, are measured. An analysis of the data gathered in respect of the various biographical categories at the company investigated, is undertaken. In terms of this analysis the relationship between interpersonal trust and the facilitators of trustworthiness is assessed, and the implications of this study for theory and policy are considered