Trust Relationships among Public Health Workers: An Application of the Leader-member (LMX) Theory

The importance of trust and relationship development between managers and their subordinates are key to organizational success and individual-level goal realization within public health departments. Leader-member Exchange (LMX) provides an effective analytical tool by which to quantify the strength of relationships between pairs of people, specifically managers and employees. This research explores the differential effects of workplace ‘trust' and LMX and the concomitant barriers women and racial/ethnic minorities experience within the public health workplace. Trust is essential in the successful accomplishment of work and is linked to network relationships. These relationships within public health vary widely at the organizational level, as health departments/districts differ greatly in size and scope. The analysis of trust in relationship to LMX is specific to dyads; effective relationship pairs within the work environment and the unit of analysis relevant to the LMX.

Research Questions

1) Are there differential effects by gender, race, and ethnicity as measured by the Conditions of Trust Inventory?

2) Are there differential effects by gender, race, and ethnicity in strength and direction of Leader-member Exchange (LMX) measurements?

Data was collected in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the State of Ohio at two combined health districts. The health districts participating in the research employed between 70 and 80 full time equivalent employees. Both health districts provide services to urban, suburban and rural populations.