Can I trust you? Exploring the ways in which sexual orientation disclosure affects the relationship between LGB leaders and their followers

• Date: 01 June 2017
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1002/cjas.1435
• Author: Michèle A. Bowring
• Published date: 01 June 2017

Can I trust you? Exploring the ways in

which sexual orientation disclosure

affects the relationship between LGB

leaders and their followers

Michèle A. Bowring*

University of Guelph

Abstract

This paper presents a model of the effects of sexual orientation

disclosure based on a review of the trust and disclosure

literature in the workplace. This model suggests that, when

leaders choose to come out, claiming LGB identity versus

downplaying it leads to subordinate trust in the leader

(FTL). This trust, in turn, inf‌luences positive outcomes such

as job performance, job satisfaction, and organizational

citizenship behaviours (OCB). Trust also moderates the inf‌lu-

ence of follower attributes and contextual factors on these

positive outcomes. I offer a number of propositions for future

research in this area. Copyright © 2017 ASAC. Published by

John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Keywords: LGB, trust, disclosure, leadership, leader-

follower relationship

Résumé

Dans cet article, je m’inspire des travaux antérieurs sur la

conf‌iance et la divulgation en milieu professionnel pour

proposer un modèle permettant d’analyser les effets de la

divulgation de l’orientation sexuelle. D’après ce modèle,

lorsque les leaders choisissent d’aff‌irmer leur appartenance

à la communauté LGB (lesbienne, gays et bisexuels) au lieu

de la nier, ils gagnent la conf‌iance de leurs subalternes

(FTL). Non seulement cette conf‌iance inf‌luence positivement

le rendement au travail, la satisfaction professionnelle et les

comportements citoyens au sein de l’organisation (OCB),

mais aussi elle modère l’inf‌luence que les attributs des exéc-

utants et les facteurs contextuels ont sur les effets positifs

cités. Dans la conclusion, je propose quelques pistes pour

des recherches futures Copyright © 2017 ASAC. Published

by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Mots-clés: LGB, conf‌iance, divulgation, leadership, relation

leader-exécutant.

In many countries, recent social, cultural and legislative

changes have brought about a stronger emphasis on diversity

in organizations as well as a more welcoming environment

for lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) employees. As a result,

the proportion of employees who disclose their nonhetero-

sexual orientation (i.e., come out) in the workplace is in-

creasing. For example, in their recent survey of 983 LGB

employees in the US, the Center for Talent Innovation found

that 59% were out at work—an increase of 7% from the

previous year (CTI, 2013). As more people come out, it is

important to understand the coming out process and its

consequences.

Coming out is an indication of reciprocal trust between

the person who comes out and the person to whom they

come out. In the workplace, one relationship in which trust

is important is the relationship between leaders and their

followers. Without follower trust in the leader (FTL), leaders

cannot lead (Argyris, 1962). Important issues for leaders who

come out, then, include managing their sexual orientation

identity in a way that has positive effects on that relationship.

Thus, an important question becomes: What happens to the

trust between leader and their followers when the leader

comes out?

While the extant literature has looked at the effects of

disclosure on individuals who come out (e.g., Griff‌ith & Hebl,

2002), their coworkers (e.g., King, Reilly, & Hebl, 2008), and

leaders themselves (e.g., Chang & Bowring, 2015), no one has

examined the effect on followers. In particular, no one has

looked at how leader behaviours, follower attributes, and

I would like to thank the editor of this special issue, Dr. Ed Ng, and the

anonymous reviewer for their very helpful comments and suggestions.

*Please address correspondence to: Michèle A Bowring, Department of

Management, University of Guelph, 50 Stone Road East, Guelph, ON,

N1G 2W1. Email: mbowring@uoguelph.ca

Canadian Journal of Administrative Sciences

Revue canadienne des sciences de l’administration

34: 170–181 (2017)

Published online in Wiley Online Library (wileyonlinelibrary.com) DOI: 10.1002/CJAS.1435

Can J Adm Sci

34(2), 170–181 (2017)Copyright © 2017 ASAC. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. 170