Testing The Relationship Between Trust And Positive Relationships Within A Top Management Team: A Second-Order Structural Equation Modeling Approach

Purpose: This paper presents the results of investigation of how trust within the team affects positive interpersonal relationships in top management teams (TMT). Design/Methodology/Approach: In accordance with the positive approach in management sciences positive relationships and trust within teams are crucial resources which allow management teams to face the strategic challenges of the modern market. Based on critical literature review the theoretical framework of the model was created to test the relationship between antecedents of trust and positive interpersonal relationships within TMTs. The study is based on a survey conducted on a sample of 123 top managers and members of teams in Poland. The verification of the theoretical model was performed based on a second-order structural equation modelling approach. Findings: This research shows that among antecedents of trust Originality/value: Studies of managerial teams in the field of interpersonal relations are rare. This paper contributes to fill this gap by selecting TMT teams as subjects for research. The study reported in this paper contributes to current understanding of the nature of relationship between trust and positive relationships in team. Keywords: trust, positive relationships, top management team (TMT), trust within team Paper type: Research paper.