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Trust in management in organizations

Author

Listed:
  • Kieron Meagher

    (Australian National University, Australia)

  • Andrew Wait

    (University of Sydney, Australia)

Abstract

It is not possible for a formal employment contract to detail everything an employee should do and when. Informal relationships, in particular trust, allow managers to arrange a business in a more productive way; high-trust firms are both more profitable and faster growing. For example, if they are trusted, managers can delegate decisions to employees with confidence that employees will believe the promised rewards. This is important because employees are often better informed than their bosses. Consequently, firms that rely solely on formal contracts will miss profitable opportunities.

Suggested Citation

  • Kieron Meagher & Andrew Wait, 2023. "Trust in management in organizations," IZA World of Labor, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA), pages 507-507, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:iza:izawol:journl:2023:n:507
    as

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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Nicholas Bloom & John Van Reenen, 2007. "Measuring and Explaining Management Practices Across Firms and Countries," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 122(4), pages 1351-1408.
    2. Asuyama, Yoko, 2020. "Delegation to workers across countries and industries: Interacting effects of social capital and coordination needs," International Journal of Industrial Organization, Elsevier, vol. 69(C).
    3. Brown, Sarah & Gray, Daniel & McHardy, Jolian & Taylor, Karl, 2015. "Employee trust and workplace performance," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 116(C), pages 361-378.
    4. Jin Li & Niko Matouschek & Michael Powell, 2017. "Power Dynamics in Organizations," American Economic Journal: Microeconomics, American Economic Association, vol. 9(1), pages 217-241, February.
    5. Nicola Bianchi & Michela Giorcelli, 2022. "The Dynamics and Spillovers of Management Interventions: Evidence from the Training within Industry Program," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 130(6), pages 1630-1675.
    6. Chen, Yongmin, 2000. "Promises, Trust, and Contracts," The Journal of Law, Economics, and Organization, Oxford University Press, vol. 16(1), pages 209-232, April.
    7. Liu, Dan & Meagher, Kieron J. & Wait, Andrew, 2022. "Market conditions and firm morality: Employee trust in the honesty of their managers," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 204(C), pages 89-106.
    8. Ichniowski, Casey & Shaw, Kathryn & Prennushi, Giovanna, 1997. "The Effects of Human Resource Management Practices on Productivity: A Study of Steel Finishing Lines," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 87(3), pages 291-313, June.
    9. Scur, Daniela & Lemos, Renata, 2019. "The ties that bind: implicit contracts and management practices in family-run firms," CEPR Discussion Papers 13794, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    10. Katayama, Hajime & Meagher, Kieron J. & Wait, Andrew, 2018. "Authority and communication in firms," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 155(C), pages 315-348.
    11. Kieron J Meagher & Andrew Wait, 2020. "Worker Trust in Management and Delegation in Organizations [“Optimal Cartel Equilibria with Imperfect Monitoring,”]," The Journal of Law, Economics, and Organization, Oxford University Press, vol. 36(3), pages 495-536.
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    management; trust; productivity; profitability;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J24 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Human Capital; Skills; Occupational Choice; Labor Productivity
    • J5 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Labor-Management Relations, Trade Unions, and Collective Bargaining
    • M12 - Business Administration and Business Economics; Marketing; Accounting; Personnel Economics - - Business Administration - - - Personnel Management; Executives; Executive Compensation
    • M54 - Business Administration and Business Economics; Marketing; Accounting; Personnel Economics - - Personnel Economics - - - Labor Management

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