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JOURNAL OF LEADERSHIP, ACCOUNTABILITY AND ETHICS
How Far Can I Trust You? The Impact of Distance and Cultural
Values on Leaders’ Trustworthiness
Author(s): Alejandro Torres, Michelle Bligh
Citation: Alejandro Torres, Michelle Bligh, (2012) "How Far Can I Trust You? The Impact of Distance and Cultural
Values on Leaders’ Trustworthiness," Journal of Leadership, Accountability and Ethics, Vol. 9, Iss. 2, pp. 23 - 38
Article Type: Research paper
Publisher: North American Business Press
Abstract:
Employees’ level of trust in leaders has long been deemed an important key to successful organizational
dynamics and performance. Utilizing survey data, the current study investigates differences in levels of
trust between one’s immediate manager and the organization’s top leadership, the impact of
individualism/collectivism on these levels of trust, and the influence of leader-follower distance on
leadership trust. Results revealed higher levels of trust for direct leaders than organizational leaders
among the U.S. sample. While individualism/collectivism was not found to significantly affect levels of
leadership trust, perceptions of less leadership distance had a positive impact on levels of leadership
trust.
