Positive Impacts of Trust-Based Leadership and Governance on School Outcomes. A Literature-Based Impact Study

The “de-bureaucratization” of the public sector is a recurring theme in politics. Scandinavian politicians are working to scale back control-based performance management through trust-based governance, enabling professionals to develop flexible, local solutions to enhance welfare services. While the positive impact of trust on organizational processes is well established, it remains unclear whether efforts to strengthen trust in the public sector will improve welfare.Based on a systematic review and using the education field as a case, this article explores whether research evidence supports the idea that trust can enhance welfare, defined as school outcomes.It addresses the following questions: How do trust-based leadership and governance affect school outcomes in primary and lower-secondary schools? And how can findings from extant research inform the future implementation of trust-based leadership and governance to help ensure positive outcomes? The main finding is that trust-based leadership and governance can yield positive outcomes, both indirectly through improved teaching practices and directly through enhanced student achievement.Moreover, the findings bring us closer to understanding how trust works and what decisionmakers should consider to successfully strengthen it.The article recommends further research to advance trust measurement methodologies, which could simultaneously provide decisionmakers with actionable insights into the practical dynamics of trust implementation.