Development and Psychometric Properties of the Organizational Trust Inventory

Abstract

This article reports on the development of a 12-item scale to measure an individual's level of trust in his or her supervisor and in his or her work organization as a whole. The scale was tested in seven different organizations, with a total sample size of 779 individuals. Reliability, validity, and factor analytic data are presented to demonstrate that the instrument is psychometrically adequate and stable. The scale is usable in both academic research and applied settings.

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Anderson, J.C. , and D.W. Gerbing. 1988. Structural equation modeling in practice: A review and recommended two-step process Psychological Bulletin 103:411-23.

Argyris, C. 1964. Integrating the individual and the organization New York: John Wiley.

—. 1970. Intervention theory and method: A behavioral science view Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley.

Balk, W. , D. Olshfski , P. Epstein , and M. Holzer. 1991. Perspectives on productivity Public Productivity and Management Review 15:265-79

. Barnes, L.B. 1981. Managing the paradox of trust Harvard Business Review 59:107-16.

Bartolome, F. 1989. Nobody trusts the boss completely—Now what? Harvard Business Review 2:135-42.

Bennis, W. , and B. Nanus. 1985. Leaders: Strategies for taking charge New York: Harper and Row.

Bentler, P.M. 1992

On the fit of models to covariances and methodology to the Bulletin

Psychological Bulletin 112.400-4.

—. 1994. EQS: Structural equations program manual Los Angeles: BMDP Statistical Software.

10.

Blake, R.B. , and J.S. Mouton. 1984. Solving costly organizational conflicts San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

11.

Boss, R.W. 1978. Trust and managerial problem solving revisited Group and Organizational Studies 3:330-41.

12.

Butler, J.K. , and R.S. Cantrell. 1984. A behavioral decision theory approach to modeling dyadic trust in superiors and subordinates Psychological Reports 55:19-28.

13.

Cacioppi, J.T. , R.E. Petty , and C. Feng Kao. 1984. The efficient assessment of need for cognition Journal of Personality Assessment 48:306-7.

14.

Caplan, R. , S. Cobb , J. French , R. Van Hamson , and S. Pinneau. 1975. Demands and worker health: Main effects and organizational effectiveness Washington, DC: U.S Government Printing Office.

15.

Carnevale, D.G. , and B. Wechsler. 1992. Trust in the public sector Administration and Society 23:471-94.

16.

Condrey, S.E. 1995

Reforming human resource management systems: Exploring the importance of organizational trust

American Review of Public Administration 25:341-54.

17.

Conte, H.R. , and R. Plutchik. 1981. A circumplex model for interpersonal personality traits Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 40:701-11.

18.

Cook, J. , and T. Wall. 1980. New work attitude measures of trust, organization commitment and personal need non-fulfillment Journal of Occupational Psychology 53:39-52.

19.

Cooke, R. , and J. Lafferty. 1987. Organizational culture inventory , Level V. Chicago: Human Synergistics.

20.

Covey, S.R. 1991. The taproot of trust Executive Excellence 8:3-4.

21.

Creed, W.E.D. , and R.E. Miles. 1996. Trust in organizations In Trust in organizations: Frontiers in theory and research, edited by R. Kramer and T. Tyler. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

22.

Cronbach, L.J. 1951. Coefficient alpha and the internal structure of tests Psychometrika 16:297-334.

23.

Culbert, S.A. , and J.J. McDonough. 1986. The politics of trust and organizational empowerment Public Administration Quarterly 10:171-88.

24.

Cummings, L.L. , and P. Bromiley. 1996. The organizational trust inventory OTI: Development and validation In Trust in organizations: Frontiers in theory and research, edited by R. Kramer and T. Tyler. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

25.

Daley, D.M. 1991. Management practices and the uninvolved manager: The effect of supervisory attitudes on perceptions of organizational trust and change orientation Public Personnel Management 20:101-13.

26.

Danserau, F. , G. Graen , and W.J. Haga. 1975. A vertical dyad linkage approach to leadership within formal organizations: A longitudinal investigation of the role-making process Organizational Behavior and Human Performance 13:46-78.

27.

Deming, W.E. 1986. Out of the crisis Cambridge, MA: MIT Center for Advanced Engineering Study.

28.

Deutsch, M. 1949. An experimental study of the effect of cooperation and competition upon group process Human Relations 2:199-231.

29.

—. 1958. Trust and suspicion Journal of Conflict Resolution 2:265-79

30.

Diffie-Couch, P. 1984. Building a feeling of trust in the company Supervisory Management (April): 31-6.

31.

Drehmer, D.E. , and J.H. Grossman. 1984. Scaling managerial respect: A developmental perspective Educational and Psychological Measurement 44:763-76.

32.

Driscoll, J.W. 1978. Trust and participation in organizational decision making as predictors of satisfaction Academy of Management Journal 21:44-56.

33.

Eubanks, P. 1991. Employee empowerment key to organizational change Hospitals 65:40.

34.

Folger, R. 1987. Distributive and procedural justice in the workplace Social Justice Research 1:143-59.

35.

Fox, A. 1974. Beyond contract: Work, power, and trust relationships . London: Faber.

36.

Friedlander, F. 1970. The pnmacy of trust as a facilitator of further group accomplishment Journal of Applied Behavioral Science 6:387-401.

37.

Fulk, J. , A.P. Brief , and S.H. Barr. 1985. Trust-in-supervisor and perceived fairness and accuracy of performance evaluations Journal of Business Research 13:301-13.

38.

Gibb, J.R. 1965. Fear and facade: Defensive managementIn Science and human affairs, edited by R. E. Farson. Palo Alto, CA: Science and Behavior Books.

39.

Golembiewski, R.T. 1985. Humanizing public organizations Mt. Airy, MD: Lomand.

40.

Golembiewski, R.T. , and M.L. McConkie. 1975. The centrality of interpersonal trust in group processes In Theories of group processes, edited by C. L. Cooper. New York: John Wiley.

41.

Graen, G.B. , and T.A. Scandura. 1987. When managers decide not to decide autocratically: An investigation of leader-member exchange and decision influence Journal of Applied Psychology 71:579-84.

42.

Griffin, K. 1967. The contribution of studies of source credibility to a theory of interpersonal trust in the communication process Psychological Bulletin 68:104-20.

43.

Hart, K.M. , H.R. Capps , J. Cangemi , and L.M. Caillouet. 1986. Exploring organizational trust and its multiple dimensions: A case study at General Motors Organizational Development Journal 4:31-9.

44.

Hackman, J.R. , and G.R. Oldham. 1975. Development of the job diagnostic survey Journal of Applied Psychology 60:159-70.

45.

Higgins, R.D. , and M. Johnson. 1991. Total quality enhances education of U.S. Army engineers National Productivity Review 11:41-9.

46.

Higginson, T.J. , and R.P. Waxler. 1989. Developing a trust culture to survive in the 1990s Industrial Management 31:27-8.

47.

Hollmann, R.W. 1976. Supportive organizational climate and managerial assessment of MBO effectiveness Academy of Management Journal 19:560-76.

48.

Hollon, C.J. , and G.R. Gemmill. 1977. Interpersonal trust and personal effectiveness in the work environment Psychological Reports 40:454

49.

. Honeycutt, A. 1989. Creating a productive work environment Supervisory Management 34:12-6.

50.

Honbe, F. 1991. Weaving habits of the heart into quality management Canadian Manager 16:21-4.

51.

Hurst, D.K. 1984. Of boxes, bubbles, and effective management Harvard Business Review 62:78-88.

52.

Idaszak, J.R. , and F. Drasgow. 1987. A revision of the job diagnostic survey: Elimination of a measurement artifact Journal of Applied Psychology 72:69-74.

53.

Isaac, S. , and W. Michael. 1971. Handbook in research and evaluation San Diego, CA: EDITS.

54.

Jago, A.G. 1982. Leadership: Perspectives in theory and research Management Science 28(3):315-36.

55.

Jeanquart-Barone, S. 1993. Trust differences between supervisors and subordinates Examining the role of race and gender Sex Roles 29:1-11.

56.

Kanter, R.M. 1972. Commitment and community Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

57.

Kavanagh, M.J. 1975. Expected supervisory behavior, interpersonal trust and environmental preferences Organizational Behavior and Human Performance 13:17-30.

58.

Kegan, D.I. 1971. Organizational development: Description, issues and some research results Academy of Management Journal 14:453-64.

59.

Keller, R.T. 1978. A longitudinal assessment of a managerial grid seminar training program Group and Organizational Studies 3:343-55.

60.

Kouzes, J.M. , and B. Posner. 1987. The leadership challenge San Francisco : Jossey-Bass.

61.

Kramer, R. , and T. Tyler. 1996. Trust in organizations: Frontiers in theory and research Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

62.

Larson, C.E. , and F.M. LaFasto. 1989. Teamwork: What must go right/what can go wrong Newbury Park, CA: Sage.

63.

Larzelere, R.E. , and T. Huston. 1980. Dyadic trust scale: Toward understanding interpersonal trust in close relationships Journal of Mariage and Family 42:595-604.

64.

Leary, M.R. , J.A. Shepperd , M.S. McNeil , T.B. Jenkins , and B.B. Barnes. 1986

Objectivism in information utilization: Theory and measurement

Journal of Personality 50:32-43.

65.

Lewis, J.D. , and A. Weigert. 1985. Trust as a social reality Social Forces 63:967-85.

66.

Liden, R.C. , and G. Graen. 1980. Generalizability of the vertical dyad linkage model of leadership Academy of Management Journal 23:451-65.

67.

Luhmann, N. 1979. Trust and power New York: John Wiley.

68.

Matthai, J.M. 1989. Employee perceptions of trust, satisfaction, and commitment as predictors of turnover intentions in a mental health setting. Doctoral dissertation, Peabody College of Vanderbilt University. Dissertation Abstracts International, DAI-B 51/02.

69.

Meyer, J.P. , and N.J. Allen. 1984. Testing the "side-bet theory" of organizational commitment: Some methodological considerations Journal of applied psychology 69:372-8.

70.

Mishra, J. , and M. Morrissey. 1990. Trust in employee/employer relationships: A survey of West Michigan managers Public Personnel Management 19:443-85.

71.

Morgan, G. 1989. Riding the waves of change San Francisco : Jossey-Bass.

72.

Morgan, R.M. , and S. Hunt. 1994. The commitment-trust theory of relational marketing Journal of Marketing 58:20-38.

73.

Morris, L. 1995. Creating and maintaining trust Training and Development 49:52-3.

74.

Nachmias, D.A. 1985. Determinants of trust with the federal bureaucracy In Public personnel policy: The politics of public service , edited by D. H. Rosebloom. Port Washington, NY: Associated Faculty Press.

75.

Navan, F.J. 1992. Empowering employees to excel Supervisory Management 37:4-5.

76.

Nyhan, R.C. , and H.A. Marlowe. 1995. Performance measurement and Total Quality Management (TQM) in the public sector: Opportunities and challenges Public Productivity and Management Review 18:333-48.

77.

Ouchi, W.G. 1981. Theory z: How American business can meet the Japanese challenge Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley.

78.

Pascale, R.T. , and A.G. Athos. 1981. The art of Japanese management New York: Warner Books.

79.

Patten, T.H. 1972. OD, MBO and RP's system: A new dimension in personnel administration Personnel Administration (March-April): 14-23.

80.

Peters, T.J. , and R.H. Waterman. 1982. In search of excellence: Lessons from America's best run companies New York: Harper and Row.

81.

Pritchard, R.D. 1990. Measuring and improving organizational productivity: A practical guide New York: Praeger.

82.

Podsakoff, P.M. , S.B. MacKenzie , R. Moorman , and R. Fetter. 1990. Transformational leader behaviors and their effects on follower's trust in leader, satisfaction, and organizational citizenship behaviors Leadership Quarterly 1:107-42.

83.

Quinn, R. 1989. Beyond rational management San Francisco : Jossey-Bass.

84.

Rodgers, C.R. 1961. On becoming a person Boston : Houghton Mifflin.

85.

Romzek, B.S. 1985a. The effects of public service recognition, job security and staff reductions on organizational involvement Public Administration Review 45:282-91.

86.

—. 1985b. Perceptions of agency effectiveness as a basis for differences in organizational involvement A research note. Review of Public Personnel Administration 6:76-85.

87.

Rotter, J. 1967 A new scale for the management of interpersonal trust Journal of Personality 35:651-65.

88.

—. 1971. Generalized expectancies for interpersonal trust American Psychologist 26:443-52.

89.

Savage, D. 1982. Trust as a productivity management tool Training and Development Journal (February): 54-7.

90.

Savery, L. , and H. Waters. 1989. Influence and trust in a multinational company Journal of Managerial Psychology 4:23-6.

91.

Schein, E.H. 1969. Process consultation: Its role in organizational development Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley.

92.

Scott, C.L. 1980. Interpersonal trust: A comparison of attitudinal and situational factors Human Relations 33:805-12.

93.

Scott, K.D. 1980. The causal relationship between trust and the assessed value of management by objectives Journal of Management 6:157-75.

94.

—. 1981. The development of four new organizational measures of trust In Proceedings of the Southern Management Association , edited by D. F. Ray. Mississippi State: Printing Department, Mississippi State University.

95.

—. 1983a. The relationship between age and interpersonal trust within an organizational context Review of Business and Economic Research 18:71-82.

96.

—. 1983b. Trust differences between men and women in superior-subordinate relationships Group and Organizational Studies 8:319-36.

97.

Simmell, G. 1964. The sociology of Georg Simmell, edited by K. Wolfe. New York: Free Press.

98.

Sinetar, M. 1988. Building trust into corporate relationships Organizational Dynamics (Winter): 73-9.

99.

Spector, P. 1985. Measurement of human service staff satisfaction: Development of the Job Satisfaction Survey American Journal of Community Psychology 13:693-713.

100.

Spector, P.E. 1982. Behavior in organizations as a function of employee's locus of control Psychological Bulletin 91:482-97.

101.

Tanaka, J.S. , A.T. Panter , and W.C. Winborne. 1988. Dimensions of the need for cognition: Subscales and gender differences Multivariate Behavioral Research 23:35-50.

102.

Wanguri, D.M. 1985. The superior-subordinate relationship: A preliminary study of downward task-relevant confidential information disclosure in the public sector Paper presented to Southern Speech Communication Association Annual Convention, Winston-Salem, NC. ERIC Document Reproduction Series No. ED 255 962.

103.

Zand, D.F. 1972. Trust and managerial problem solving Administrative Science Quarterly 17:229-39.