Trust and Employees’ Commitment to Supervisor: The Nigerian Experience

Abstract

There has been several research works on the concepts of trust and commitment to supervisor respectively. However, there is no known study on the relationship between trust and commitment to supervisor. To fill this gap in the management literature, this study examined empirically the relationship between trust and employees commitment to their supervisors. The sample for the study consisted of two hundred and forty five (245) academic members of staff (both teaching and non teaching) from the seven randomly selected universities in the Niger Delta Region of Nigeria. The study utilized the quasi-experimental research design as it is the most appropriate for the administrative sciences. The study also utilized both primary and secondary data. The spearman rank correlation coefficient and Multiple Regression Model using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 15 were utilized for the analysis of data. The findings indicated the existence of a positive and significant relationship between trust and employees commitment to their supervisors. In view of the results, it behooves the management of Nigerian universities to continuously earn the trust of their employees as this is the foundation of every relationship and hence is capable of enhancing the employees’ commitment to their supervisors. This is particularly so because relationships are formed and commitment to supervisor is enhanced as trust develops. Employees continuously make judgments about how trustworthy their managers or supervisors are based on their perception of what these managers or supervisors do, not on what they say, or what they intended to do. When trust diminishes, relationships become more distant, often leading to conflict. Other practical implications for promotion of trust and enhancing commitment to supervisor in the workplace are presented.

Keywords: Trust, Commitment  to Supervisor, Nigerian Universities, Niger Delta Region, Nigeria