RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PSYCHOLOGICAL CLIMATE AND TRUST BETWEEN SALESPERSONS AND THEIR MANAGERS IN SALES ORGANIZATIONS

The ability of managers to develop and preserve trusting relationships with people in their sales departments exerts a critical influence on the success of their organizations. The extent to which psychological climates influence the trust that salespersons place in their managers was investigated. Salespersons possessing low and high trust (ns = 94 and 89) were distinguished by significantly different perceptions of the levels of autonomy, cohesiveness, fairness, innovativeness, and recognition within the psychological climate of their sales units. Recommendations for how managers can foster psychological climates of trust are suggested.