Trust in the team leader: operationalization of the construct in an R&D context

Purpose – The aim of this paper is to suggest an instrument to measure trust in a team leader, within an R&D context. Design/methodology/approach – The material was collated from available literature and semi‐structured interviews. A total of 192 valid answers were collected from scientists and professionals working in R&D teams in Portugal. Findings – The factor analysis allowed for the extraction of four components: “integrity”, “benevolence”, “concern”, and “ability”. Research limitations/implications – The paper suggests the need to test the validity of the measuring tool in other contexts. Originality/value – A new measurement instrument for trust in the team leader is developed in the context of R&D teams.