Trust as a regulated response to cultural diversity at work: The moderating role of openness to experience

Rachel M Saef, Purdue University

Abstract

Today’s culturally diverse workforce is a double-edged sword in that it can provide a competitive edge for organizations through positive corporate image and increased innovation, but also trigger social categorization and in-group biases that hinder cooperation and trust between culturally dissimilar employees. When employees work with culturally dissimilar others, they are expected to behave in a trusting and cooperative manner to get the job done, however because lower levels of trust are reported in cross-cultural settings, employees must manage their behavior to align with organizational expectations instead of their biases. An experimental study using a sample of 404 undergraduate students was used to test the idea that individual-level cognitive (i.e., trustworthiness perceptions) and behavioral (i.e., trust manifestations) trust are important determinants of whether cultural diversity will positively or negatively affect the individual (i.e., effort expended or regulatory depletion) and the organization (i.e., performance). Furthermore, I investigated whether individuals high in openness to experience are more likely to trust culturally dissimilar partners and subsequently avoid the motivational consequences of trusting during diverse interactions. While this study found no empirical support for the hypothesized main effect of cultural dissimilarity or the moderating effects of openness on individual trust processes, cognitive (i.e., perceptual) trust did indeed predicted the motivational consequences experienced by individuals after performing trust-related behaviors.

Degree

M.S.

Advisors

Woo, Purdue University.

Subject Area

Social psychology|Occupational psychology

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