Perceived trust and business negotiation practices: the subordinates’ perspective

The successful functioning of an organisation depends on the importance of trust, which promotes unity between supervisors and subordinates and creates a positive organisational climate that in turn improves subordinates' work performance. The purpose of this study is to identify the predictors that influence negotiators' perceptions of their supervisors' trust. The study considers several predictors including teamwork, outcomes, deadlines, satisfaction, culture, and legislation. A survey was conducted among 157 companies in Croatia and a regression analysis was performed using the SPSS statistical package. About half of the respondents rated the perceived trust of their supervisors as moderate. The majority of negotiators prioritise the achievement of all set goals, while the satisfaction of all parties involved in the negotiation process ranks second. Slightly more than half of the respondents perceive teamwork to be important or very important. On average, respondents believe that legal issues present greater obstacles than cultural differences. The survey results confirm a statistically significant relationship between perceived trust and factors such as teamwork, meeting deadlines, satisfaction, and legal barriers. The paper deepens the understanding of the importance of trust between a supervisor and a subordinate in a negotiation context by examining perceived trust from the subordinate's perspective.