This study contributes to the CMS literature by identifying trust as the mediator
to enhance the understanding of the mechanism by which the CMS of leaders
affects the attitudinal outcomes of their subordinates. It also contributes to the
literature of trust by identifying CMS as a significant antecedent of trust which has
been missing from the studies of trust in the past four decades. Finally, this study
attempts to enhance our insight and theoretical understanding of the issues of CMS
and trust in a Chinese context, which involves a culture markedly different from
that of the West.
In the following sections, we first discuss the CMS literature and its effects. Next,
we discuss how Chinese culture may influence the CMS of Chinese managers and
the responses of employees, and try to explain their potential deviations from those
in the West. Finally, we link the concept of trust to CMS and discuss the mediating
role of trust in the relationship between a manager’s CMS and a subordinate’s job
outcomes