Employee trust-repair practices: scale development and validation

• Published in: Journal of advances in management research Vol. 20; no. 3; pp. 539 - 563
• Main Authors: Kähkönen, Tiina, Vanhala, Mika, Blomqvist, Kirsimarja
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Bingley Emerald Publishing Limited 10.07.2023; Emerald Group Publishing Limited
• Subjects: Employees; Equilibrium; Human resource management; Multiple trusts; Trust; Violations; Trust-repair practices; Scale development; Employee trust repair; Employee trust-repair scale
• ISSN: 0972-7981; 2049-3207
• DOI: 10.1108/JAMR-08-2021-0294

PurposeIn this paper, the authors describe the step-by-step approach used to develop a trust-repair construct and a valid measurement scale for assessing employee perceptions of the most effective employee trust-repair practices.Design/methodology/approachThe initial employee trust-repair scale (ETRS) was completed by 282 employees of a non-profit organization and validated by 101 employees of the administrative unit of the Finnish Army.FindingsThe 14-item seven-factor model was found to be reliable, valid and stable across the samples.Research limitations/implicationsThis study contributes to the current literature on trust repair by presenting the first validated measure for employee trust repair.Practical implicationsThe findings provide a valuable instrument for practitioners to assess the state of employee trust-repair practices.Originality/valueTo the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study in an organizational context demonstrating an operationally valid and comprehensive measure for employee trust-repair practices.