RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN IMPERSONAL TRUST AND INNOVATIVE CULTURE: AN EMPIRICAL STUDY

In the uncertain and volatile environment of the modern world, the role of trust is growing. A volatile business environment has forced organisations to deconstruct some of their structures and build other structures internally (Lewicka & Rakowska, 2017). These oftenoccurring and sometimes hardly predictable transformations, trigger natural resistance and uncertainty among members of organisations and, in consequence, a need for trust is born, not only towards the staff but also towards the entire organisation, which is expected to guarantee stability and predictability (Lewicka, 2010). So far, researchers have mostly focused on interpersonal organisational trust, pointing to its role in supporting innovation (Dirks & Ferrin, 2001; Heyns & Jearey, 2013), often disregarding the role of impersonal trust. However, as it turns out, impersonal trust may become a serious source of competitive advantage. Trust guarantees a feeling of security and freedom of operation required in the context of risk connected with Innovation and the uncertainty, ambiguity and complexity that accompany it (Six, 2005).