Transcript Leadership and safety citizenship behavior: the role of trust

Leadership and Safety Citizenship
Behavior: The Role of Trust
SHAMA DIDLA
University of Aberdeen
Supervision: Dr. Kathryn Mearns & Prof. Rhona Flin
Sponsoring company: Centrica Energy
Setting the
scene:
Industrial accidents:
Bhopal Gas Tragedy (1984)
Chernobyl nuclear plant (1986)
Piper Alpha (1988)
Attention to
safety management:
Away from technical
approach to
human factors
Core ingredient in shaping
safety climate:
Management’s
commitment to safety
Bhopal Gas Tragedy (1984)
Leadership style of
managers and supervisors
Piper Alpha (1988)
Transformational and Transactional Leadership:
Bass (1985)
 Transactional Leadership (TA): An exchange relationship
between leaders and followers.
 Transformational leadership (TF): Leaders motivate followers
to achieve performance expectations by transforming followers’
attitudes and beliefs.
Augmentation effect of TF over TA:
TA
TF
Heightened
motivation
Expected
performance
Peformance beyond
Expectations i.e. Safety
citizenship behaviours
AIM


Previous research focus: perceived safety climate (Barling, et al.,2002),
safety consciousness, safety communication and safety
commitment (Hofmann & Morgeson,1999).
Our aim: To understand the psychological mechanisms of the
relationship between leadership and subordinates’ safety
citizenship behaviors.
Leadership
Psychological
mechanisms
Trust
Subordinates’
safety citizenship
behaviour
Trust:

The willingness of a party to be vulnerable to the actions of
another party based on the expectation that the other will perform
a particular action important to the trustor (Mayer, Davis, & Schoorman,
1995).

Trust has been suggested as the foundation of safety culture

Important for safety communication (Clarke, 1998) and safety
initiatives (Donald & Young, 1996).

Important ingredient in performing safely (Fleming & Lardner, 2001).
(Reason, 1997).
Safety Citizenship Behavior:

An individual behavior that is discretionary, not directly or
explicitly recognized by the formal reward system, and in the
aggregate promotes the effective functioning of the organization
(Dennis & Organ,1983).

Social Exchange Theory (Blau, 1964)

SCB = helping + voicing one’s opinions +exhibiting stewardship
+ civic virtue + whistle-blowing + changing one’s workplace
(Hofmann, Morgeson, & Gerras, 2003).
Method:

Questionnaires distributed to 500 employees

114 returns: 72 (workforce level) & 42 (supervisory level)

Measures:
Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire - 45 items (Bass & Avolio, 1999)
Trust Climate and Safety Questionnaire - 24 items (Conchie, 2003)
Safety Citizenship Behavior Scale - 27 items (Hofmann, Morgeson, &



Gerras, 2003)



Job categories: production, maintenance, administration, engineering
Onshore: 78 Offshore : 35
Centrica: 70 Contracting company: 44
Descriptives of the sample
*p < .01 level
Variables
M
SD
α
1
2
3
4
1.Transformational
leadership
2.00
0.83
0.93
2. Contingent
reward
2.18
0.99
0.84
0.86*
3. Management by
exception
1.98
0.82
0.65
0.41*
0.45*
4. Passive avoidant
1.19
0.84
0.85
-0.48*
-0.48*
-0.13
5. Trust
5.20
1.14
0.91
0.70*
0.68*
0.16*
-0.57*
6. OCB
3.42
0.88
0.98
0.27*
0.28*
0.18*
-0.05
5
0.27*
Hypothesis 1: TF augments TA
TF accounted for 3% additional variance in trust in the
leader
Dependent variable: Trust in the leader
Transactional Leadership
Mean
SD
Contingent
reward
2.20
0.99
MBEA
1.96
0.83
PA
1.19
0.83
R2
∆ R2
F
ß
0.28*
0.57
0.57*
47.81*
-0.14*
-0.28*
Transformational Leadership
2.01
0.82
0.60
0.03*
40.88*
0.38*
Testing the mediation model


Multiple regression analysis
Baron & Kenny’s guidelines (1986) to test mediation effects
PREDICTOR
significant
MEDIATOR
significant
OUTCOME
PREDICTOR
PREDICTOR
TF & TA
significant
MEDIATOR
TRUST
significant
non-significant
OUTCOME
SCB
Hypothesis 2
Trust mediated the relationship between
TF & TA leadership and SCB
Dependent variables
Trust
Independent
variables
TF + CR
SCB
Leadership Behavior
Leadership Behavior
Trust
SCB
ß = 0.46*
R2 = 0.53*
ß = 0.27*
R2 = 0.07*
ß = 0.14, ns ß = 0.15, ns
MBEA
ß = -0.17*
R2 = 0.55*
ß = 0.18
R2 =0.03, ns
Mediation model not
applicable
PA
ß = -0.28*
R2 = 0.61*
ß = -0.06
R2 = 0.03, ns
mediation model not
applicable
R2 = 0.09*
Hypothesis 3
Leader’s behaviours: Antecedents to trust
(Regression analysis)
Justice perceptions
48% variance
Personal identification
with the leader
Empowerment
perceptions
Perceived organizational
support
12% additional
variance
TRUST
Conclusions

Leadership behavior is effective if it is both transactional and
transformational. For performance beyond expectations, we
need more transformational leaders!

Role of trust is two-fold:
Plays a major role in the dynamics of leadership in influencing
subordinates’ citizenship behaviors.
It is what a leader ‘does’ and not what a leader ‘is’ that
helps him/her gain the trust of the workforce i.e. firstly, a
leader should implement fair practices and secondly, the
workforce should be able to personally identify with him/her
and share common goals with regards to the organization.
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THANK YOU
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