Servant leadership as antecedent of trust in organizations

Purpose This study sets out to examine the impact of servant leadership (SL) on followers' trust in their leaders. Design/methodology/approach Data from 555 employees of two educational institutions were obtained using measures of servant leadership behaviors and followers' trust in their leader. Findings Servant leadership is a significant predictor of trust with covenantal relationship, responsible morality and transforming influence as the key servant leadership behaviors significantly contributing to followers' trust in their leaders. Subordinates who perceived high servant leadership behavior in their leaders had significantly higher trust levels compared with those who perceived low servant leadership behavior in their leaders. Research limitations/implications While the relationship between leadership and trust has attracted scholarly interests for many years, the underlying process of how trust in the leader‐follower relationships is developed remains unknown. The current study addresses this gap in the literature by empirically testing the linkages between servant leadership behavior and followers' trust in their leaders. Practical implications The study suggested specific trust‐building behaviors in which leaders should continually engage: articulation of a shared vision, role‐modeling, demonstration of concern and respect for followers, and integrity‐infused decisions and actions. Originality/value The current study represents the first large‐scale attempt that empirically tests the linkages between servant leadership behavior and followers' trust in their leaders.