Justice and Leadership Antecedents of Organizational Trust Effects on Attitudes, Behavior, and Community Empowerment Outcomes in Kenyan Agricultural Cooperatives

Organizational trust within co-operatives significantly impacts outcomes like member satisfaction, commitment, and various dimensions of empowerment. However, research, particularly in the African context, is limited. This study addresses the gap by investigating the effects of participative leadership and interactional justice on trust and their influence on co-operative outcomes. Our findings indicate that trust, largely influenced by participative leadership and interactional justice, positively affects outcomes such as satisfaction, commitment and empowerment. However, for active membership, the effects were direct, not mediated by trust. Trust in the co-operative and its governing structure showed more pervasive impacts than trust in fellow members. These results significantly enrich the existing literature on organizational trust within co-operatives, providing valuable insights for co-operative leaders, members, policy makers, and donor agencies. By underscoring the importance of trust, participative leadership, and interactional justice, we offer a roadmap towards enhancing co-operative performance and community empowerment. Furthermore, these findings set stage for future research in this critical area. The study offers a notable contribution to the field, emphasizing the integral role of trust, participative leadership, and interactional justice in shaping a range of co-operative outcomes. This study can significantly benefit co-operative leaders and members by informing their strategies for enhancing trust, performance, and empowerment within their organizations. Furthermore, the study provides valuable insights for community leaders, government policy makers, and donor agencies who aim to bolster the capacity of co-operatives to foster rural development and community empowerment.