Okolisan, Joshua (2025) Boosting Performance through Shared Leadership: The Mediating Role of Trust in Dutch Workplaces. Bachelor thesis, Psychology.
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Abstract
In response to growing organizational complexity, shared leadership has emerged as a decentralised alternative to traditional hierarchical models. Defined by the distribution of influence based on competence rather than formal authority, shared leadership is typically examined at the team level. This study extends the literature by investigating its effects within leader–follower dyads and examining trust as a mediating mechanism in the relationship between shared leadership and individual performance. Grounded in Social Exchange Theory and Self Determination Theory, the study employed a one-wave, multi-source field design comprising 133 Dutch leader–employee dyads. Employees assessed levels of shared leadership and trust, while leaders rated employee performance. The findings demonstrate that shared leadership is positively associated with trust, which in turn predicts individual performance. Importantly, the direct relationship between shared leadership and performance became non-significant when trust was included in the model, indicating a full mediation effect. These results contribute to a more granular understanding of shared leadership processes at the dyadic level and provide empirical support for trust as the central mechanism linking shared leadership and performance. The findings are particularly relevant in the Dutch context, where low power distance and egalitarian workplace norms may facilitate competence-based influence. Implications for leadership development underscore the importance of trust-building as an intentional and foundational component of shared leadership practices.
| Item Type: | Thesis (Bachelor) |
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| Supervisor name: | Bucur, R.E. |
| Degree programme: | Psychology |
| Differentiation route: | None [Bachelor Psychology] |
| Date Deposited: | 09 Jul 2025 09:03 |
| Last Modified: | 09 Jul 2025 09:03 |
| URI: | http://gmwpublic.studenttheses.ub.rug.nl/id/eprint/5393 |
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