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Organisational justice mechanisms’ mediating leadership style, cognition- and affect-based trust during COVID-19 in South Africa

Schalk Willem Jacobus Visser (Gordan Institute of Business Science, University of Pretoria, Johannesburg, South Africa)
Caren Brenda Scheepers (Gordan Institute of Business Science, University of Pretoria, Johannesburg, South Africa)

European Business Review

ISSN: 0955-534X

Article publication date: 31 May 2022

Issue publication date: 5 October 2022

424

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to investigate how different kinds of leadership styles (transformational and transactional leadership) influence different components of trust (affect-based and cognition-based trust), mediated by organisational justice mechanisms (distributive, procedural and interactional justice) during COVID-19 conditions in South Africa.

Design/methodology/approach

This study conducted a quantitative study by collecting survey data from 366 leaders in three organisations in South Africa, using valid and reliable scales. Given the number of latent constructs, the statistical technique used for this research was partial least squares-structural equation modelling, which enabled the authors to evaluate the strength and significance of the mediating relationships.

Findings

Findings show unexpectedly that neither distributive nor procedural justice has any significant mediating effect between transformational and transactional leadership and between the components of trust (affect-based and cognition-based trust). However, interactional justice was found to have a significant positive mediating effect between transactional leadership and affect-based trust as well as cognition-based trust. The same did not apply to transformational leadership.

Originality/value

Given the context of this study, which was conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic, these findings support the notion that it is the responsibility of leaders in organisations to communicate effectively, clearly and transparently to their followers at all times but particularly during times of extreme uncertainty. These increased levels of perceived fairness result in the development of trust within the organisation.

Keywords

Citation

Visser, S.W.J. and Scheepers, C.B. (2022), "Organisational justice mechanisms’ mediating leadership style, cognition- and affect-based trust during COVID-19 in South Africa", European Business Review, Vol. 34 No. 6, pp. 776-797. https://doi.org/10.1108/EBR-11-2021-0243

Publisher

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Emerald Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2022, Emerald Publishing Limited

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