ABSTRACT

The purpose of the current paper is to examine the development in the nature of followers’ trust in the leader during funding reform oriented organisational changes in a higher education organisation (HEO). Funding systems of HEOs are subjects of public reform. This development has pushed the organisations towards more business-oriented management and organisational culture and has created a demand for the communication of the leadership to maintain followers’ trust towards the leader and the organisation. The focus of this study is on the receiving end of this leader communication. Prior studies show that trust has a significant meaning in organisational contexts in strengthening members’ willingness to work towards mutual goals, interact with other members, and reduce self-protecting behaviour. The data of this qualitative case study comprises primary data consisting of followers’ texts and complementary data of a job satisfaction survey. The data was analysed using typology, which provided the basis for creating a metaphor for the findings. The findings suggest that during times of change in an organisational environment, the nature of followers’ trust in the leader seems to develop from an interpersonal level to an institutional level.

摘要

本论文的目的是研究在高等教育组织 (HEO) 中以改革为导向的组织变革过程中追随者对领导者信任性质的发展。HEO 的资助制度是公共改革的主题。这种发展推动了组织更加面向业务的管理和组织文化，并产生了对领导层沟通的需求，以保持追随者对领导者和组织的信任。本研究的重点是这种领导沟通的接收端。先前的研究表明，信任在组织环境中对增强成员朝着共同目标努力的意愿、与其他成员互动以及减少自我保护行为具有重要意义。该定性案例研究的数据包括主要数据，包括追随者的文本和工作满意度调查的补充数据。使用类型学分析数据，这为为研究结果创建隐喻提供了基础。研究结果表明，在组织环境发生变化的时期，追随者对领导者的信任的性质似乎从人际层面发展到制度层面。