The concept of “trust” in social science generally retains its everyday meaning, primarily referring to the level of a person’s willingness to trust the good deeds of others and have faith in their words and actions (Kark and Shamir, 2023). Trust within an organization can be manifested in various ways, it can develop among colleagues, as well as in the feeling of the employees toward the company and its leadership. Additionally, trust can span across different departments and even between distinct organizations.

Daud et al. (2019) observe that most definitions of trust are grounded in an individual’s expectations about another person’s future behavior, shaped by that person’s current and past statements both explicit and implicit about how they will act, and the implicit claims often arise from an individual’s cooperative behavior, which indicates a crucial role in influencing how we perceive others.

Organizational trust is the positive belief that individuals have regarding the intentions and actions of various members within the organization, shaped by roles, relationships, experiences, and interdependencies. It is a general assessment of an organization’s dependability, as well as the level of support and trust employees feel toward their employer. Current research suggests that employees’ perceptions of the organization’s core trust are crucial for sustaining trust-building practices (Daud et al., 2018). Therefore, organizational trust reflects employees’ confidence in their direct supervisors, as well as the trust among employees, management, work units, and team members. Organizational trust also pertains to interpersonal trust among workgroups or teams. This indicates that a network of trust influences participation in corporate decision-making, crisis management, conflict resolution, and the mitigation of disputes (Moghavvemi et al., 2018).

A lack of organizational trust has been consistently linked to deteriorating performance outcomes in academic institutions, particularly in administration staff in the Malaysian higher education sector, since trust acts as a foundational element for effective communication, collaboration and the psychological safety of university staff, moreover, when trust is deficient that can lead to reduce the staff morale and negatively affect their motivation, this directly impacts the overall organizational performance (Saraih et al., 2018). In the Malaysian public university context studies show that diminished trust in leadership correlates with reduced work engagement and job satisfaction among administrative and support staff, this erosion of trust can inhibit the innovation and limit constructive dialogue, also ultimately impair institutional effectiveness (Abbasi and Wan Ismail, 2023). According to Hassan and Ahmed (2011), the absence of leader credibility and transparency fosters a culture of fear and compliance rather than empowerment, undermining the collective commitment required for academic excellence. Moreover, less trust environments are characterized by fragmented teamwork and resistance to change, both of which are detrimental to institutional transformation initiatives. This is especially problematic in Malaysian academia where hierarchical structures are dominant and trust-building mechanisms are often underdeveloped, therefore, enhancing organizational trust is not merely a relational concern more than it is a strategic imperative for improving performance, fostering collaboration and achieving sustainable growth within Malaysian universities (Ayduğ, 2025).

Organizational trust significantly influences the retention of academic staff in Malaysian higher education institutions. A study by Basit and Duygulu (2018) highlights that trust in the organization is a critical factor affecting the intention of self-initiated academic expatriates to remain in Malaysian universities, the research indicates that when expatriate academics perceive a lack of trust from their institutions, it adversely impacts their commitment and increases turnover intentions. This finding spotted the importance of adopting a trustworthy environment to retain valuable academic talent.

Furthermore, trust plays a crucial role in promoting knowledge sharing behaviors among academics. Mutahar et al. (2022) found that trust among academic staff is essential for effective knowledge sharing, which is vital for academic excellence. The study emphasizes that in the absence of trust, academics are less likely to engage in knowledge-donating and collecting behaviors, thereby hindering collaborative efforts and innovation within the institution. These insights collectively suggest that cultivating organizational trust is not merely beneficial but essential for the sustainability and advancement of academic institutions in Malaysia.

Trust is essential for building strong relationships, deepening human connections, and providing a stable foundation for meaning and growth. In the workplace, cultivating trust involves fostering a collective belief in leaders who are dedicated, empathetic, and capable (Daud et al., 2023). Employees who trust their leaders are more likely to trust that decisions will focus on promoting the overall wellbeing. Moreover, employees highly value transparency from their leaders, especially during challenging times. This mutual trust fosters increased collaboration, loyalty, and overall confidence in the organization (Tsai and Wu, 2024; Daud et al., 2024b).

Building organizational trust is not particularly difficult. Leaders simply need to treat people fairly and clearly explain the rationale behind any changes. Effective communication is key in any organization; it should be authentic, consistent, and ideally two-way. A trustworthy leader motivates, educates, and empowers others through their communication (Elsaman et al., 2024a,b). Furthermore, messages should be engaging and customized to ensure that all recipients fully grasp their expectations.

While demonstrating competence is crucial for building trust, qualities like empathy and understanding can have an even greater impact. Leaders can further cultivate trust by embodying fairness, follow-through, and compassion. When business leaders commit to these values through equitable and impartial practices, they cultivate an environment where everyone feels valued, respected, and connected, ultimately promoting a stronger and more united workplace.

Research conducted by Vesudevan and Abdullah (2024) indicated that group cohesiveness and communication are key precursors of organizational trust. On the other hand, Tzafrir and Dolan (2004) designed a scale to measure organizational trust and identified three major antecedents: harmony, concern, and reliability. Reliability involves consistent and systematic practices and behaviors and is strengthened when promises and commitments are fulfilled. Concerning this matter, it transcends mere opportunism to encompass altruistic behavior, which illustrates another dimension of trust. Ultimately, a constructive amalgamation of emotions, interests, perspectives, objectives, and values inside the employment relationship framework fosters harmony. Mayer et al. (1995) proposed three critical characteristics of organizational trust in their study on an integrated model: capacity, benevolence, and integrity. Ability encompasses the collection of abilities, talents, and traits that enable an individual or entity to exercise influence within a specific domain. Benevolence refers to the extent to which a trustee is seen as genuinely concerned for the wellbeing of the trustor, free from self-interested motives. Integrity encompasses the employee’s perception of a set of standards deemed acceptable by the superior. Shockley-Zalabak et al. (2000) identified five significant antecedents of organizational trust in their study involving 10–14 focus groups of employees from the United States and Italy including openness and honesty, concern for employees, reliability, competence, and identification.

It is worth noting that many researchers who have studied the impact of trust in organizational performances specially in Malaysia adopted the qualitative approach, this highlight the need of conducting an empirical study about this point to clarify and validate the results of previous studies. In the same context many studies demonstrates that organizational trust is a critical determinant of employee wellbeing in academic and institutional settings. When trust is absent, employee outcomes such as job satisfaction, commitment and mental health are negatively affected.

Cheng and Wang (2025) argued that organizational trust significantly influences affective commitment and organizational behaviors, mediated by attitudinal pride. Similarly, Jaškevičiūtė and Šilingienė (2021) demonstrated that organizational trust acts as a vital mediator between human resource management practices and employee wellbeing and emphasizing its centrality in sustainable organizational systems. In addition, Yıldız and Şimşek (2019) reported a strong positive relationship between organizational trust and job satisfaction among Turkish physicians, underscoring its impact across institutional contexts. Moreover, Lee and Kim (2022) observed that trust enhances job satisfaction and lowers turnover intentions, positioning it as a protective factor against organizational disengagement. On the study of Chen and Huang (2016). These findings collectively indicate that trust is not only a moral imperative but a structural necessity in academic institutions. Failure to cultivate trust undermines institutional health, while its presence enhances performance, retention, and innovation across faculty and staff cohorts.

Based on these findings, the researchers realized the need of proposing the solutions to tackle this phenomenon by developing and validating a model to predict trust in organization through spiritual leadership.

Spiritual leadership is grounded in principles such as integrity, virtue, collaboration, knowledge, integration, and connectivity (Samul, 2024; Daud et al., 2021). Organizations that are deeply rooted in spirituality foster innovation and creative thinking among employees, as spirituality plays a vital role in driving creativity and innovation (Jahroni et al., 2024). In the process of creating a shared vision, spiritual leadership focuses on prioritizing collective goals over personal ambitions, aligning followers’ aspirations with the organization’s broader future, while also maintaining their trust and confidence by nurturing their hope and faith. This study aims to examine the impact of spiritual leadership on organizational trust (Sihombing et al., 2024).

Spiritual leadership is fundamentally an individual trait that influences organizational members to attain collective objectives. Effective leaders motivate and guide the organization and its members to actively pursue the set goals (Vedula and Agrawal, 2023). The leader’s influence in steering the organization toward its goals will build confidence among members, encouraging them to rely on and follow the guidance given. As defined, trust is the readiness to depend on an authority embedded in favorable anticipations regarding the actions and intentions of that authority, hence the robust trust of members in companies is influenced by the leader’s capacity to motivate them to execute their jobs efficiently (Chen et al., 2024).

Earlier research on leadership mainly concentrated on transformational and transactional leadership approaches, nevertheless, recently numerous instances of wrongdoing and mismanagement by management staff have emerged this necessitating an examination of the phenomena by utilizing and implementing the spiritual perspective in leadership within organizations (Constantin, 2024). According to Fry (2003), previously, leadership theories have traditionally concentrated on the physical, mental, or emotional aspects of human interaction within organizations, often overlooking the spiritual dimensions. On the other hand, it is grounded in a spirit-centered, value-driven approach, defined by the values, attitudes, and behaviors that are key to intrinsically motivating oneself and others. This approach fosters a sense of spiritual wellbeing through a deep sense of calling and belonging, In the same context a spiritual leader is an individual who genuinely encourages and inspires employees to cultivate vision, value, and a feeling of duty through spiritual direction, hence enhancing overall employee wellbeing (Fry, 2003; Samul, 2024).

Spiritual leadership represents a transformative approach to leadership studies. Rooted in “spirituality,” it is seen as a fundamental force that gives deep meaning to our human experience (Ghasemy et al., 2022). It acts as a universal energy that propels us to rise to new heights and build meaningful connections with others. The aim of spiritual leadership is to construct a shared vision and align values within employees or organization, acting as the force that unites individuals in purpose and harmony. Spiritual leadership is key in promoting proactive behavior in the workplace, highlighting the critical role of leadership in nurturing such behaviors (Hu and Zhang, 2023). As a result, managers are encouraged to adopt a spiritual leadership style that inspires their teams to become more engaged, committed, and productive, leading to greater proactive behavior in the workplace (Mutazam and Daud, 2021; Daud et al., 2019, 2024a).

Spiritual leadership is an inwardly cultivated characteristic. The leader’s character, values, and personality are shown. A leader who embodies spiritual leadership places greater emphasis on fostering harmonious and meaningful relationships with subordinates. According to Garg and Jalan (2024), leaders exhibiting spiritual leadership emphasize compassion, ethics, and human values in fostering meaningful relationships. Leaders should articulate their vision while delegating responsibilities to subordinates, thereby clarifying the expected outcomes to mitigate uncertainty and enhance subordinates’ sense of belonging. Therefore, examining spiritual leadership will enhance comprehension of the organization’s culture (Subhaktiyasa et al., 2023).

Spiritual leaders consistently employ emotional intelligence in their leadership. Emotional intelligence is the capacity to recognize, regulate, and effectively utilize one’s emotions to reduce stress, communicate clearly, empathize with others, solve problems, and resolve conflicts. Consequently, leaders exhibiting spiritual leadership will demonstrate honesty in their work, accountability in their decisions, fairness in their treatment of employees, and adherence to their commitments. According to the findings of Li and Wang (2023) leaders who engage in spiritual leadership will augment employee loyalty.

As maintained by Conway (1999), task performance refers to a defined set of behaviors focused on accomplishing work tasks, which directly impact how a supervisor assesses an employee’s overall contribution to the organization. Research shows a positive link between spiritual leadership and individual task performance and as mentioned by Guillen et al. (2015), spiritual leadership is considered an effective strategy for boosting employees’ intrinsic motivation by addressing the psychological needs of both leaders and followers, while also fulfilling essential spiritual needs, such as values and management practices that motivate individuals to engage in meaningful and purposeful work (Fry, 2003). Deci and Ryan (2000) indicated that intrinsic motivation is fueled by personal interest and fundamental psychological needs, which are expressed as independence, skill mastery, and connection in the workplace. Moreover, as maintained by Deci and Ryan (2000), intrinsic motivation is more likely to thrive in environments that are marked by warmth and compassion. The purpose of spiritual leadership is to intrinsically motivate individuals by embodying spiritual values and showing selfless compassion in the workplace, with the ultimate objective of boosting productivity (Fry, 2003; Fry et al., 2005; Fry and Cohen, 2009). According to Faruk et al. (2019a,b), many studies have demonstrated that intrinsic motivation is related with enhanced performance and learning.

Followers of leaders who practice spiritual leadership tend to perform better, driven by a shared and clear vision. Spiritual leadership inspires followers by presenting a compelling long-term vision and an alternate future. Locke et al. (1981) said clearly defined and challenging goals are more likely to enhance individual task performance. In fact, as mentioned by Locke et al. (1981), Joo et al. (2023), clear and challenging goals result in better performance compared to having no specific objectives. Through a vision grounded in spirituality, spiritual leadership instills faith and hope, guiding followers in the vision-creation process. A confident role model encourages followers to demonstrate perseverance and strive for excellence when tackling difficult tasks.

Spiritual leaders assist followers in nurturing their body, mind, heart, and soul. By crafting a compelling vision and mission, they can foster collaboration, trust, mutual support, and commitment. They gain the acceptance of followers by showing a deep understanding of the group’s dynamics and proving their expertise in areas such as credibility, guidance, trust, and inspiration. Several studies, including those by Terzi et al. (2020), Esfahani and Sedaghat (2015), have applied the spiritual leadership dimensions developed by Fry (2003). In his foundational paper “Toward a Theory of Spiritual Leadership,” Fry (2003) identifies three key attributes of spiritual leadership namely vision, altruistic love, and hope. These characteristics are seen as crucial for addressing followers’ need for spiritual survival, which in turn can influence organizational success. Fry (2003) argued that a leader’s vision provides clarity on the direction employees should follow for organizational sustainability, creating a meaningful existence that makes an impact. altruistic love, on the other hand, reflects a leader’s dedication to employee wellbeing, respect for their rights, and acknowledgment of their accomplishments. The third dimension, hope or faith, refers to how leaders communicate their vision, inspiring followers to have confidence in and be dedicated to the organization’s goals.

The global public sector confronts a common challenge: integrity, and currently, public sector reform is not particularly effective (Fourie and Poggenpoel, 2016). This assertion aligns with the perspective of Blum et al. (2012) that most countries possess sound underpinnings for effective governance but falter in implementation. In Malaysia, the integrity of public personnel is consistently a significant topic of concern. Rahmatika et al. (2022), noted that problems such as lack of trust, misuse of power, and misappropriation of public funds are consistently emphasized, adversely impacting the overall perception of the public sector. In his address, Ismail et al. (2019), stated that trust issues is the sole subject that has garnered extensive discussion. Consequently, all government organizations, including public universities, require competent officials to facilitate an effective governance structure. Faruk et al. (2019a,b) asserted that public universities require not just esteemed academicians but also proficient administrative officers capable of adeptly navigating the myriad hurdles encountered in their pursuit of becoming world-class institutions.

Hence, this study main objective: to examine the impact of spiritual leadership represents by dimensions namely vision, altruistic love, and hope/faith on organizational trust that represents by dimensions namely harmony, reliability and concern.

Based on a review of recent and existing literature, the research hypothesis is:

As shown in Figure 1, the research framework is developed to include three dimensions of spiritual leadership and three dimensions of organizational trust.

The study employs a quantitative methodology by utilizing a Likert scale questionnaire-based approach to collect data from participants. A cross-sectional research design was employed for this study. The unit of analysis for this study is the individual, encompassing support staff a public university located at Northern Peninsular Malaysia.