Association between Authentic Leadership and Job Performance—The Moderating Roles of Trust in the Supervisor and Trust in the Organization: The Example of Türkiye

Abstract

This study examines the relationship between authentic leadership and employee job performance and explores the moderating roles of employee perceptions of trust in the organization and trust in their managers in this relationship. It was carried out with a quantitative method using a correlational research design. The research was cross-sectional. The participants were employees from five service industry companies operating in Türkiye. The results indicate that authentic leadership, trust in the supervisor, and trust in the organization strongly and positively affect employee job performance. The findings show that authentic leadership substantially impacts employees’ job performance as employees are followers of the internalized moral values of their supervisors. The moderating roles of the two key concepts of employees’ perception of trust in the supervisor and trust in the organization are consistent with the relevant theoretical framework. If leaders of organizations can behave honestly and focus on establishing constructive relations with their employees regarding the ideas and reasons behind business strategies, employees will be able to accept their leaders as role models and motivate themselves at work. It would benefit managers to demonstrate to their employees that fairness is a top priority in their managerial methods, actions, and activities.