Knowledge worker trust within organisations

Abstract

Observers of structural changes in developed economies have generated widely accepted claims about the move to a society based on â knowledgeâ , â knowledge workâ and â knowledge workersâ . These claims imply a need for more detailed research on the contexts, antecedents, and consequences of â trustâ in knowledge-based workplaces. That research is largely missing from the debates. This thesis assesses the claims regarding the knowledge worker relationship with management, which assumes high levels of trust, while more critical scholars challenge this assumption. One means of connecting the disparate theory and empirical research is used in this thesis, a thorough examination of workplace relationships.

There are three main aims for this research. The first is the development of a theoretical model that translates the claims regarding knowledge work into the expected circumstances for the relationships between workers and managers in knowledge-based workplaces. This thesis argues that the circumstances can notionally be separated into â Trustâ , â Changeâ , â Managementâ and â Organisational Outcomesâ . Secondly, a new means of identifying knowledge workers is presented. Finally, the theoretical model is tested empirically.

Phase one consisted of developing and selecting items which were capable of capturing the various circumstances, including different levels of trust within an organisation (immediate manager, business unit and organisation). Focus groups within one Australian business unit of multinational information technology (IT) organisation provided feedback on the content and useability of the survey (n=23). Phase two included a redesigned survey, including items intended to identify knowledge workers, which was tested with a broader Australian IT population (n=96).

Phase three of the research was the main study where the final form of the survey was then used (n=255). Quantitative analyses were undertaken for the immediate work area, the organisation and a combined model, all using Partial Least Squares (PLS). Demographic variables (age, gender and supervisor/non-supervisor) had a negligible impact. A maximised model is described for each analysis and the possible implications for the theoretical model and knowledge based workplaces are discussed. Finally the theoretical contributions and practical implications of this research are discussed.