The Need of Leader–Subordinate Reciprocal Dyadic Trust to Build the Subordinate's Trust in the Organization: The Case of Korean Air Pilots

Abstract

This article examines two-way trust (leader's trust in subordinate and subordinate's trust in his or her leader) in the context of the leader–subordinate dyad, and the relationship between the subordinate's perception of this two-way trust and the subordinate's trust in the organization. Based on a survey with a sample of 182 Korean Air pilots, the results show that a perceived leader's trust in a subordinate is positively related to the subordinate's trust in that leader, and that a subordinate's trust in his or her leader mediates the relationship between the leader's trust in subordinate and the subordinate's trust in the organization. A summary of the contributions and implications of this research are discussed, as are suggestions for future research.