Organizational Trust: A Gateway to Psychological Empowerment

Abstract

This study investigates the relationship between psychological empowerment of employees and organizational trust within Kuwaiti industrial companies. It focuses on two dimensions of organizational trust; namely, trust in supervisors and trust in the organization. A total of 450 questionnaires were submitted to industrial companies in the Subhan Industrial Area, of which350 were completed. The results indicate that a significant positive correlation exists between psychological empowerment of the employees of these companies and organizational trust. The findings indicate that trust in the supervisor and in the organizationexplains21.8% and 13.1%, respectively, of the variation in psychological empowerment. Trust in the supervisor correlates significantly and positively with all dimensions of psychological empowerment whereas trust in the organization correlates significantly and positively with only three dimensions of psychological empowerment; namely, meaning, competence, and self-determination. The study concludes by explaining the limitations involved and suggests future research directions to enhance psychological empowerment and trust in industrial companies in Kuwait.