A large part of literature stressed that the quality of social relationships (such as comfortable communication with a trusting environment) between leaders and employees contributes to employees’ safety. Previous works essentially argue that trust promotes safer behavior and reduces accidents in the workplace. In particular Luria (2010) showed that leaders who create a relationship of trust with their subordinates are more likely to create a safe working environment, and to achieve higher and stronger supervisor’s safety-climate perceptions among their subordinates in a military context. Literature reveals that coworkers also have a fundamental safety role, but the influence they have on safety climate perceptions and outcomes has not been fully explored. Moving ahead from Luria’s (2010) contribution the aim of the present study was to test the role of group safety climate in the relationship between trust and openness in communication and safety performance. Specifically we hypothesized that safety climate at the coworkers’ level and at the supervisor level could mediate the relationship between trust and openness in communication within the organization and safety performance. Data was collected using a questionnaire. Two subscales from the Integrated Organizational Safety Climate Questionnaire (Brondino et al., 2013) that assess supervisor’s safety climate and coworkers’ safety climate were used. Safety performance was measured with an adjusted version of Griffin & Neal scale about safety behavior (Griffin & Neal, 2000). Trust and Openness in communication was evaluated using three items from the Communication Climate Scale of Smidts et al. (2001). All the scales revealed very good reliability with alphas varying between .74 and .96. The sample includes 250 blue-collars of four Italian manufacturing companies. Data analyses showed high correlations among the considered variables (p <.001) and they confirmed the possibility to test the mediations. The mediation was tested following Baron & Kenny (1986) recommendations. Results reveal that trust and openness effect decrease and/or become non-significant when the mediators were introduced. Namely, both supervisor’s safety climate (R²= .20, β = .33, p <.001) and coworkers’ safety climate (R²= .28, β = .46, p <.001) have a mediation role between trust/openness in communication and safety performance. These effects were confirmed with Sobel test. The mediation will also be tested using other approaches (e.g. SEM) and these results will be also presented. Theoretical and practical implications will be discussed.
The Effect of Trust and Openness on Safety Performance: The Role of Group Safety Climate.
Paolillo, Anna;PASINI, Margherita
2014-01-01
Abstract
A large part of literature stressed that the quality of social relationships (such as comfortable communication with a trusting environment) between leaders and employees contributes to employees’ safety. Previous works essentially argue that trust promotes safer behavior and reduces accidents in the workplace. In particular Luria (2010) showed that leaders who create a relationship of trust with their subordinates are more likely to create a safe working environment, and to achieve higher and stronger supervisor’s safety-climate perceptions among their subordinates in a military context. Literature reveals that coworkers also have a fundamental safety role, but the influence they have on safety climate perceptions and outcomes has not been fully explored. Moving ahead from Luria’s (2010) contribution the aim of the present study was to test the role of group safety climate in the relationship between trust and openness in communication and safety performance. Specifically we hypothesized that safety climate at the coworkers’ level and at the supervisor level could mediate the relationship between trust and openness in communication within the organization and safety performance. Data was collected using a questionnaire. Two subscales from the Integrated Organizational Safety Climate Questionnaire (Brondino et al., 2013) that assess supervisor’s safety climate and coworkers’ safety climate were used. Safety performance was measured with an adjusted version of Griffin & Neal scale about safety behavior (Griffin & Neal, 2000). Trust and Openness in communication was evaluated using three items from the Communication Climate Scale of Smidts et al. (2001). All the scales revealed very good reliability with alphas varying between .74 and .96. The sample includes 250 blue-collars of four Italian manufacturing companies. Data analyses showed high correlations among the considered variables (p <.001) and they confirmed the possibility to test the mediations. The mediation was tested following Baron & Kenny (1986) recommendations. Results reveal that trust and openness effect decrease and/or become non-significant when the mediators were introduced. Namely, both supervisor’s safety climate (R²= .20, β = .33, p <.001) and coworkers’ safety climate (R²= .28, β = .46, p <.001) have a mediation role between trust/openness in communication and safety performance. These effects were confirmed with Sobel test. The mediation will also be tested using other approaches (e.g. SEM) and these results will be also presented. Theoretical and practical implications will be discussed.
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