Abstract

This paper will argue that the level of employee trust in management, will be a significant factor in determining the willingness, or otherwise, of an employee to engage in discretionary and positive, extra-role behaviour. Discretionary extra-role behaviour being defined as behaviour which aims to assist the organisation to achieve its goals and which is over and above the behaviour which is demanded by the terms of the employment contract. This paper will identify three significant indicators of trust in management, which in turn are likely to influence the level of discretionary effort. This paper contends that perceptions by employees of their level of trust in management, is a critical factor in their behaviour and argues that individuals independently, subjectively and interpretively, form their own perceptions about the culture, or work environment, and continually reassess and act on their feelings.