Lecturers' interpersonal trust in peers, job performance, and OCBI: examining the mediating role of positive affect during the Covid-19 pandemic utilizing the PLSe2 estimator

Abstract

Purpose Guided by the affective events theory (AET), the purpose of this paper was to explore the impact of interpersonal trust in peers, as an affective work event, on two affect-driven behaviors (i.e. job performance and organizational citizenship behavior toward individuals [OCBI]) via positive affect during the Covid-19 pandemic, particularly in the Asia–Pacific region. Design/methodology/approach This study is quantitative in approach, and longitudinal survey study in design. The authors collected data from lecturers in 2020 at the beginning, at the end and two months after the first Covid-19 lockdown in Malaysia. Then, the authors utilized the efficient partial least squares (PLSe2) estimator to investigate the relationships between the variables, while also considering gender as a control variable. Findings The findings show that positive affect fully mediates the relationship between interpersonal trust in peers and job performance and partially mediates the relationship between interpersonal trust in peers and OCBI. Given that gender did not demonstrate any significant relationships with interpersonal trust in peers, positive affect, job performance and OCBI, the recommended policies can be universally developed and applied, irrespective of the gender of academics. Originality/value This research contributes originality by integrating the widely recognized theoretical framework of AET and investigating a less explored context, specifically the Malaysian higher education sector during the challenging initial phase of the Covid-19 pandemic. Furthermore, the authors adopt a novel and robust methodological approach, utilizing the efficient partial least squares (PLSe2) estimator, to thoroughly examine and validate the longitudinal theoretical model from both explanatory and predictive perspectives.