Power and trust in organizational relations: an empirical study in Turkish public hospitals

Abstract

Given the salience of the interplay between trust and power relations in organizational settings, this paper examines the perceptions of social power and its effects on trust in supervisors within the context of public hospitals. Following the theoretical background from which the study model is developed, the recent situation of hospitals within Turkish healthcare system is discussed to further elucidate the working conditions of physicians. Sample data were collected employing a structured questionnaire that was distributed to physicians working at seven different public hospitals. The statistical analyses indicate that perceptions of supervisors' social power affect subordinates' trust in supervisors. Although coercive power is found to have the greatest impact on trust in supervisors, the influence of the power base is weak. In addition, the results show that perceptions of social power differ between genders. However, the results do not support any of the hypotheses regarding the relations between trust in supervisors and the examined demographic variables.

The Entangled Twins: Power and Trust in Collaborative Governance

“…Similar to power, trust has also been studied in different disciplines, all characterizing trust in terms of “confident expectations” and “willingness to be vulnerable” (Bozaykut & Gurbuz, 2015; Carnevale & Wechsler, 1992; Mayer, Davis, & Schoorman, 1995; Rousseau, Sitkin, Burt, & Camerer, 1998). Trust implies confident expectations of outcomes of an uncertain event, with one party willing to give up the control over outcomes and to be vulnerable to risks from another party (Hosmer, 1995; Zand, 1972).…”

“…The relationship between power and trust is generally believed as two-sided, both complementary and opposing (Bozaykut & Gurbuz, 2015; Ireland & Webb, 2007). For example, Luhmann (1979) argued power and trust are functionally equivalent alternative mechanisms in coordinating communication and social interaction.…”

“…Trust is also believed as a specific type of control mechanism in social interaction (Merchant, 1985), which is a substitute mechanism for hierarchical control (Ring & Van de Ven, 1994). Researchers found that displays of power become a substitute for trust when there is a failure or deficiency of trust between actors (Bozaykut & Gurbuz, 2015). Participants may also resort to power due to its easiness to exercise compared with spending time and effort to foster and maintain trust (Bachmann, 2001; Bozaykut & Gurbuz, 2015).…”

“…Researchers found that displays of power become a substitute for trust when there is a failure or deficiency of trust between actors (Bozaykut & Gurbuz, 2015). Participants may also resort to power due to its easiness to exercise compared with spending time and effort to foster and maintain trust (Bachmann, 2001; Bozaykut & Gurbuz, 2015). Extending this perspective, in this article, we will explore major functions shared by power and trust in collaboration.…”

“…As a result, participants’ confidence in their relationship with others is weakened. This failure or deficiency of trust can increase the tendency of using power as a substitute for trust to handle collaborative dynamics (Bozaykut & Gurbuz, 2015), or some participants may even withdraw from the collaboration, which will result in more challenges in managing power relationships between partners.…”