Building Trust Bridges: Mediating Role of Trust in Social Undermining's Impact on Job Crafting in Blue- and White-Collar Workforces

This study aims to examine the impact of social undermining on job crafting, which is considered indispensable for the survival of organizations within dynamic and changing environmental conditions, and to investigate the role of organizational trust in this effect. Moreover, the investigation delves into potential differentials in the influence of these factors upon blue- and white-collar personnel. Empirical data were collected from a cohort of 416 individuals encompassing blue and white-collar designations, employed across the upper echelon of Turkey's civil aviation sector, comprised of the country's top five companies. The dataset underwent scrutiny through the utilization of Smart PLS 4 and IBM SPSS 26 for analytical purposes. The results discern that organizational trust assumes a mediational role in the relationship between social undermining and job crafting. The mediation effect displays a partial manifestation among blue-collar staff, while a complete mediation effect manifests among their white-collar counterparts. Beyond its primary findings, this study augments scholarly understanding of the repercussions stemming from negative and deviant conduct in relation to job crafting and organizational trust. Moreover, it enriches the existing literature concerning the influence of social undermining on job crafting and organizational trust within the realms of blue- and white-collar employees.