Power distance orientation and employee help seeking: Trust in supervisor as a mediator

We explored the mechanism and effect of supervisors’ power distance orientation in relation to employee help seeking by way of a hierarchical linear model based on a sample of 311 employees working in 12 Chinese firms. Results indicated that power distance orientation had a significantly negative impact on employees’ instrumental and emotional help seeking as well as their trust in the supervisor. Affect-based trust mediated the relationship between power distance orientation and instrumental and emotional help seeking. Further, cognition-based trust mediated the relationship between power distance orientation and instrumental help seeking. Implications for theory and management are discussed.