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The shaking nest of trust: A case study of funding reform in a higher education organization

ABSTRACT The purpose of the current paper is to examine the development in the nature of followers’ trust in the leader during funding reform oriented organisational changes in a higher education organisation (HEO). Funding systems of HEOs are subjects of public reform. This development has pushed the organisations towards more business-oriented management and organisational culture and has created a demand for the communication of the leadership to maintain followers’ trust towards the leader and the organisation. The focus of this study is on the receiving end of this leader communication. Prior studies show that trust has a significant meaning in organisational contexts in strengthening members’ willingness to work towards mutual goals, interact with other members, and reduce self-protecting behaviour. The data of this qualitative case study comprises primary data consisting of followers’ texts and complementary data of a job satisfaction survey. The data was analysed using typology, which provided the basis for creating a metaphor for the findings. The findings suggest that during times of change in an organisational environment, the nature of followers’ trust in the leader seems to develop from an interpersonal level to an institutional level.