Formal versus informal supervisor socio-emotional support behaviors and employee trust: The role of cultural power distance

• Main Authors: CHO, Jaee, WASTI, S. Arzu, SAVANI, Krishna, TAN, Hwee Hoon, MORRIS, Michael W.
• Format: text
• Language: English
• Published: Institutional Knowledge at Singapore Management University 2023
• Subjects: Culture; Formal; Informal; Power distance; Socio-emotional support; Trust; Human Resources Management; Organizational Behavior and Theory
• Online Access: https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/lkcsb_research/7448; https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/context/lkcsb_research/article/8447/viewcontent/Formal_versus_informal_supervisor_socio_emotional_support_behaviours_and_employee.pdf
• Institution: Singapore Management University

This research investigates how formal versus informal supervisor support behaviours shape employees' affect- and cognition-based trust across cultures of varying power distance. Using data from in-depth interviews, Study 1 found that trust-enhancing supervisor behaviours were more formal, status conscious and imposing in India (a high power distance culture) than in the Netherlands (a low power distance culture); unlike in India, supervisors acted more like friends or equals with their subordinates in the Netherlands. Using vignettes, Study 2 found that, compared to informal support behaviours, formal support behaviours increased both affect- and cognition-based trust among Indian participants, but among US participants, formal support behaviours only increased cognition-based trust. Study 3 conceptually replicated those findings by manipulating power distance in an organization. Together, the findings from these three studies suggest that supervisors' formal socio-emotional support behaviours are particularly effective in increasing affect-based trust in societal and organizational cultures that are high power distance.