EFFECT OF LEADERSHIP TRUST ON WORKERS’ COMMITMENT IN PUBLIC-OWNED HOSPITALS IN SOUTH-EAST, NIGERIA

Abstract

This study investigated the influence of leadership trust on workers’ commitment in public-owned hospitals in Enugu-East, Nigeria. The study adopted a descriptive survey research design. The population comprised all clinical and non-clinical staff in the selected public-owned hospitals in Enugu-East. A sample of 238 respondents was drawn using proportionate stratified sampling technique. Data were collected with the aid of a structured questionnaire designed on a 5-point Likert scale and validated by experts. Cronbach Alpha was used to establish reliability with a coefficient of .84. Descriptive statistics of mean and standard deviation were used to answer the research questions, while z-test was employed to test the hypotheses at .05 level of significance. Findings revealed that the level of leadership trust and workers’ commitment in the hospitals was moderate. There was a significant difference in the level of commitment between workers who perceived high leadership trust and those who perceived low leadership trust. The study concluded that leadership trust significantly influences workers’ commitment in public-owned hospitals. It was recommended that hospital management should adopt benevolent and integrity-based leadership practices, ensure fairness in decision making, and create open communication channels to enhance workers’ commitment and service delivery.