Exploring the Effects of Flight Attendants' Trust in Supervisor in the Pre-merger Context at Acquired Airlines

Mergers and acquisitions (M&A) are becoming more active around the world, and large domestic airlines are also undergoing major M&A. However, existing studies focused on the post-merger integration process, and there is little research on the management of members at acquired organization particularly in the pre-merger situation. This study focuses on flight attendants, and explores the effects of trust in supervisor among members of the acquired airline before M&A on their work engagement and willingness to support for change after M&A. In addition, the mediating effect of members' self-leadership in the relationship between trust in supevisors on work engagement and intention to support change was tested. We surveyed acquired crew members in the pre-merger situation and analyzed the responses of 280 members. As a result of the analyses, supervisory trust showed a positive influence on work engagement and change support intention after M&A, and self-leadership mediated these relationships. Based on these results, theoretical and practical implications for management of members of the merged airline were suggested.