DRAFT – PLS DO NOT QUOTE - DRAFT Toward the Trusted Public Organization: Untangling the Leadership, Motivation, and Trust Relationship in U.S. Federal Agencies

This study examines two aspects of organizational trust, as identified in the relevant literature: cognition-based (rational) trust and affect-based (relational) trust. Using hierarchical linear modeling (HLM), we explore and analyze the antecedents of organizational trust in the public sector at a hierarchical and multi-level ordering structure, and empirically test the effects of different types of individual, interpersonal, and organizational characteristics – 1) public HR management systems and practices, 2) work motivation attributes, and 3) vertical and shared leadership – on cognitive and affective trust within federal agencies. Also, the moderating impacts of different types of leadership on the relationship between motivation and organizational trust are examined. We found that some of these predictors play significant roles in fostering organizational trust in federal agencies. We provide a discussion of the findings from this study, and conclude by drawing research implications for public management theory and practice.