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Introduction
Service quality is a central aspect of performance in social and health sectors due to its relevance for customers in terms of health and well-being (Gruber and Frugone, 2011; Molina et al., 2015; Schalock et al., 2008). Service quality is increasingly delivered by teams. In fact, organizations are experiencing a shift toward team-based structures (Colquitt et al., 2005; Li et al., 2018). This is evident in the context of the current research study: organizations for vulnerable people (i.e. individuals with intellectual disability) (Clare et al., 2017; Molan et al., 2018). In this type of organizations, like in other social and health care services, different types of professionals work together in teams to deliver complex therapeutic, social and educational services. Opportunities for better performance emerge in teams, based on aspects such as an increased use of members’ capabilities (Troth et al., 2012) and greater coordination among members (Gittell, 2002). In addition, team-based structures can offer richer jobs for members in terms of autonomy and flexibility, with positive effects on their well-being (van Mierlo et al., 2007). However, the emergence of these positive outcomes depends on the quality of the relationship between managers and team members, and trust between them plays a critical role. Trust is an attitude that describes a trustor’s summary evaluation of the other party in a relationship (Korsgaard et al., 2015; Martínez-Tur and Peiró, 2009).
Trust between managers and team members occurs within a relationship. This relationship refers to the interaction between managers and team members in performing tasks and achieving expected objectives. Considering the two sides of trust offers a better picture of the interaction than the consideration of only one perspective (Korsgaard et al., 2015). In the current research study, we focus on reciprocity of trust between managers and team members in a specialized organizational context providing services to individuals with intellectual disability. Despite the significance of trust reciprocity between the parties in a relationship, most of the previous literature tends to view trust in only one direction (see Serva et al., 2005), either the employee’s trust in the supervisor or manager (see Bijlsma and van de Bunt, 2003; Connell et al., 2003; Yagil, 2014) or the supervisor’s...