Identity, Supervisor Trust, And Displaced Dissent In The Supervisor-Subordinate Relationship

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

1-1-2026

School

Communication

Abstract

The authors examined subordinates’ (N = 276) personal-relational and enacted-relational identity gaps as mediators for the relationship between their supervisor trust and displaced dissent scores. The findings indicated that participants’ enacted-relational identity gap served as an explanatory variable that partially mediated the relationship between their supervisor trust and displaced dissent based on their supervisor-subordinate relationship. The results align with the leader-member exchange theory and the communication theory of identity. The authors provide an overview of implications, limitations, and make recommendations for supervisors.

Publication Title

Communication Research Reports

Volume

43

Issue

1

First Page

26

Last Page

38

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