Abstract
Purpose – This study sought to examine the relationship between trust-in-supervisor and
willingness to help coworkers as well as the moderating effect of perceptions of organizational
politics on this relationship.
Design/methodology/approach – A field survey using a structured questionnaire was used to
gather data from 106 employees of a medium-sized company that had businesses in the
manufacturing, travel, and education industries. Participation was voluntary and employees
completed the questionnaire anonymously.
Findings – Moderated multiple regression results indicated that trust-in-supervisor was positively
related to employee willingness to help coworkers among employees perceiving low levels of
organizational politics but not among those perceiving high levels of organizational politics.
Research limitations/implications – The limitations of this study include reliance on
cross-sectional data collected using self-reports from employees of a single organization. Future
research should examine other forms of spontaneous workplace behaviors as outcomes of trust and
identify other mitigating factors that may enhance or inhibit such behaviors. Future research also is
needed to address the question of why trust predicts helping.
Practical implications – Employers can realize the benefits of employee helpfulness stemming
from supervisory trust only if they can establish a workplace that is not politically charged. Therefore,
trust must be augmented with organizational interventions and strategies that discourage a high level
of politicking.
Originality/value – This study provides what is perhaps the first empirical test of the joint
contribution of trust and perceptions of organizational politics on willingness to help. In addition, the
findings of this study extend the organizational politics literature by showing that perceived politics
might also act as a moderator of relationships.
Keywords Organizational culture, Trust, Line managers, Employee relations