Trust in leaders and employee silence behaviour: Evidence from higher education institutions in Indonesia

BACKGROUND: It is important for decision-makers such as leaders to be aware of employee silence behaviour within organizations. Failure to see this phenomenon tends to reduce the quality of information regarding potential issues in the organizations. OBJECTIVE: This study investigated the effect of trust in leaders on employee silence behaviour and the mediating role of organizational commitment within this relationship. METHODS: Data were collected from academicians working at private higher education institutions within an Indonesia city. Relying on the social exchange theory, the current study tested the hypotheses through the analysis of partial least square -structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). RESULTS: Findings confirmed that trust in leaders positively affects organizational commitment and negatively affects employee silence behaviour. Furthermore, results suggested that organizational commitment fully mediates the link between trust in leaders and employee silence behaviour. CONCLUSIONS: These findings present a valuable contribution for scholars and managers in understanding the mechanism underlying the relationship between trust in leaders and employee silence behaviour, especially in non-profit organizational settings such as higher education institutions in Indonesia.