Trust and the Relationship Between Leadership and Follower Performance: Opening the Black Box in Australia and China

Abstract

This study provides a cross-cultural comparison of the mediating effects of trust in the leader on the relationship between the in-role performance of followers (as rated by their leaders) and two types of leadership: transactional and transformational. Participants were 119 full-time Australian followers and 122 full-time Chinese followers. Australian followers reported higher levels of trust in their leaders than did Chinese followers. Culture moderated the mediation effects of trust on the leadership-performance relationship. The findings highlight the need to consider the cultural context within which leadership occurs when attempting to understand mediated relationships with performance outcomes.