Chapter 6 Application: A Leadership Study

John recently attended a Transylvania Public Health Leadership Institute (TPHLI) session that focused on the leadermember exchange (LMX) theory of leadership, including the Conditions of Trust Inventory (CTI). He is intrigued by the 11 dimensions considered by the CTI: supervisor availability, competence, consistency, discreetness, fairness, integrity, loyalty, openness, promise fulfillment, receptivity, and overall trust. Having long known that trust is a key component of leadership, John, in follow-up to the TPHLI session, suggests to the MCMHD commissioner that the department undertake a study of trust throughout the organization. He recommends using the CTI while at the same time collecting demographic data on the individuals participating in the study. After hearing John's persuasive case about the study and its potential usefulness for improving vertical dyad relationships between leaders (managers) and followers (subordinates), the commissioner agrees to the plan.

Over a two-week study period, a survey is made available electronically to all staff members, including leaders. The study uses a full network design methodology in which staff members are included without a control group. At the start of the study period, all staff receive an e-mail explaining the general purpose of the study and assuring them of anonymity and confidentiality.

By the conclusion of the study period, 49.8 percent of the 582 staff members have responded to the survey. In addition to the CTI items, the survey included a series of demographic questions to record the gender of the employee and supervisor, the race/ethnicity of the respondent, the respondent's job classification, the respondent's status as full or part-time, the respondent's age, and the number of years the respondent has worked for MCMHD. The study found that the gender breakdown of the respondents was 85 percent female and 15 percent male, whereas the gender of the respondents' supervisors was 61 percent female and 39 percent male. The respondents were 57 percent white, 38 percent black, 3 percent Asian, and 1 percent Hispanic, whereas the supervisors were 64 percent white, 29 percent black, and 2 percent Asian.

John has assessed the CTI responses in relation to the gender and race/ethnicity data and finds the results to be instructive. Black employees rated supervisors lower than white employees did on the trust dimensions of supervisor availability, supervisor consistency, supervisor integrity, and supervisor loyalty, but higher on the dimension of supervisor fairness. In an analysis of employee- supervisor race concordance, nonconcordant pairs consistently scored lower in trust dimensions than did concordant pairs, with statistically significant and meaningful differences for the dimensions of supervisor availability, supervisor consistency, supervisor integrity, and supervisor loyalty. The findings confirm that MCMHD faces a number of trust differences related to employee race, supervisor race, and employee- supervisor race concordance.

As John reviews the data, he wonders how differences in trust might affect staff performance and turnover in his division, and across all of MCMHD. Furthermore, he worries that issues with employee trust, satisfaction, retention, and turnover might adversely influence the outcome of MCMHD's impending PHAB accreditation. He is particularly concerned about the lack of trust in white supervisors by black employees. Sitting in his office, John thinks: How can I use these results to improve the organizational culture of my followers and those of the rest of the department?

1. Analyze how John can use the results of his study to improve the level of trust MCMHD employees have for their leaders.
2. How would you deal with the trust issues raised by this study?
3. Why is trust such an important part of leadership?