Discussion

I am interested in your fresh idea: building a trustful relationship with subordinates is beneficial for motivation and improving leadership effectiveness. I think it is worthwhile exploring how to establish a trustful relationship especially in an increasingly global and culturally diverse working environment.

Northhouse (2010) suggests that transnational leaders should be competent in cross-cultural awareness and practice to establish trust with employees. There are different beliefs, values, rules, norms, symbols, and traditions in different cultures. According to Adler and Bartholomew (1992), a shared culture with subordinates is the first step to form a trustful relationship in a global culture context. Second, the transnational leaders should relate to followers from other cultures from a position of equality rather than culture superiority. Ethnocentrism is the perception that one’s own culture is better or more natural than the culture of others. Ethnocentrism can be a major obstacle to establish trust because it prevents people from fully understanding or respecting the viewpoints from others in a different culture (Porter & Samovar, 1997). Thus, global leaders today should abolish ethnocentrism to establish trust with followers.

In addition, Goffee and Jones (2000) believe that leaders who do what they say are more likely to be seen as genuine and authentic, therefore trustful. A major driver of trust is authentic, which is consistency between words and deeds. It is adaptable to the global culture context too. A transnational leader should not eat his or her words. Instead, he or she should do what has been promised to the followers to earn trust from the subordinates.

Word Count: 258
Reference:
Alder, N. J., & Bartholomew, S. (1992). ’Managing globally competent people’, Academy of Management Executive, 6, PP 52-65
Goffee, R., & Jones, G.(2000). ‘Why should anyone be led by YOU’, Harvard Business Review, 78(5). PP 6-70
Northouse, P. G. (2010). Leadership: Theory and Practice. SAGE Publications Inc. Cal
Porter, R. E. & Samovar, L.A. (1997), ‘An introduction to intercultural communication’, Intercultural communication, PP 5-26