Linking secure attachment to commitment: trust in supervisors

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between a secure attachment style and affective commitment (AC) through the mediating roles of affective and cognitive trust in a direct supervisor. Design/methodology/approach – The study was conducted using the questionnaire answers of 357 private sector employees in various occupations. The statistical analysis was based on structural equation modeling. A multiple mediation model enabled us to investigate the specific indirect effects of each mediator. Findings – Results based on a model comparison showed that the employees’ affective trust in their supervisor fully mediated the relationship between a secure attachment style and AC. However, cognitive trust had no significant mediating effect on relationships between a secure attachment style and AC. Practical implications – Trust in supervisors should be monitored and supported during developmental interventions. Understanding the power of affective and cognitive trust in predicting attitudes can help shape more effective interventions to influence positive work attitudes, including AC. Originality/value – The study sheds new light on the literature by linking individual attachment to organizational attachment as the mediating role of two forms of trust in a supervisor.