Abstract

The purpose of this research was to examine the strategies, challenges, and measures of trust-building between leaders and team members in multinational organizations. This topic is significant because (a) the deficit of trust in leadership has spread across industries and nations over the last decades (Edelman, 2023), imposing a high penalty on organizations and society (Covey & Merrill, 2018); (b) in contrast, in a trusting environment, happiness, cooperation, and results are enhanced (Zak, 2017); and (c) trust is also an issue in cross-cultural settings because the traditional notion of trust is binary and Western, leaving out cultural awareness necessary to trust (Kwantes & Kuo, 2021). Therefore, there is room for improvement in the current literature and models and to offer a better understanding and actional steps to build trust. To address this problem, this research utilized a theoretical framework with theories of trust (Covey et al., 2022; Mayer et al., 1995; Stickel, 2022), emotional intelligence (Goleman, 2019), and cultural intelligence (Livermore, 2015). It is assumed that emotional and cultural intelligence are positively related to trust. Qualitative methodology with a phenomenological approach is applied to understand the lived experience of leaders in multinational organizations (Creswell & Poth, 2017). The inquiry technique is appreciative (Cooperrider et al., 2008) and semi-structured, allowing a deeper analysis of the strategies and challenges leaders encounter. The expected outcome is a new model of trust with actionable steps that can be applied by leaders in multinational organizations and new knowledge to build up the current literature.

Library of Congress Subject Headings

International agencies--Leadership; Trust--Leadership; Emotional intelligence--Leadership; Truthfulness and falsehood--Leadership

Date of Award

2024

School Affiliation

Graduate School of Education and Psychology

Department/Program

Education

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctorate

Faculty Advisor

Gabriella Miramontes

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