Trust and quality of life: A study in organizations for individuals with intellectual disability.

BACKGROUND: Based on social exchange within organizations for individuals with intellectual disability, we explore trust between supervisors and team members and its association with organizational performance oriented to the quality of life of service users. AIMS: We examine the mediating role of teams' trust in supervisors in the relationship between supervisors' trust in teams and performance focused on improving the quality of life of service users. We expect teams to reciprocate supervisors' trust by reporting greater levels of trust in supervisors and better performance. METHOD AND PROCEDURES: We tested this trust-mediated model with a sample of 139 supervisors (reporting trust in their teams), 1101 team members (reporting trust in their supervisors), and 1468 family members (reporting performance focused on quality of life). OUTCOMES AND RESULTS: Our findings confirmed a cross-level mediation process. Supervisors' trust in their teams leads to teams' trust in their supervisors. This trust at the team level in turn is positively associated with organizational performance oriented to improving the quality of life of individuals with intellectual disability, reported by family members. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: Our study builds on and extends an established stream of research on trust theory by considering trust and its association with performance focused on quality of life.

Improving service performance in organizations for individuals with intellectual disability: an intervention focused on participation of families / A melhoria do desempenho do serviço em organizações para indivíduos com deficiência intelectual: uma intervenção com foco na participação das famílias / La mejora del desempeño del servicio en organizaciones para personas con discapacidad intelectual: una intervención centrada en la participación de las familias

To improve service performance in organizations for individuals with intellectual disability, the authors tested an intervention based on collaborative teams. Specifically, professionals and families cooperated in the design and implementation of projects to improve the quality of life of individuals with intellectual disability. We considered two service performance indicators reported by family members (N = 342; 78% women; and a mean age of 57.17 years): service quality and self-determination communication openness. Our results revealed that family members assigned to the experimental condition improved their service quality evaluations from pre-intervention to post-intervention, whereas family members assigned to the control condition did not change their evaluations. The intervention was not effective for communication openness. Perceptions remained stable in family members who participated in the teams (experimental condition), whereas communication openness decreased in family members in the control condition. We discuss the implications of our findings for service research.

Para melhorar o desempenho do serviço em organizações para indivíduos com deficiência intelectual, os autores testaram uma intervenção baseada em equipes colaborativas. Especificamente, profissionais e famílias cooperaram na concepção e implementação de projetos para melhorar a qualidade de vida das pessoas com deficiência intelectual. Foram considerados dois indicadores de desempenho do serviço relatados pelos familiares (N = 342; 78% mulheres; idade média de 57,17 anos): qualidade do serviço e abertura de comunicação autodeterminada. Nossos resultados revelaram que os membros da família atribuídos à condição experimental melhoraram suas avaliações de qualidade de serviço de pré-intervenção para pós-intervenção, enquanto os membros da família atribuídos à condição de controle não mudaram suas avaliações. A intervenção não foi eficaz para a abertura de comunicação. As percepções permaneceram estáveis ​​nos familiares que participaram das equipes (condição experimental), enquanto a abertura comunicativa diminuiu nos familiares na condição controle. Discutimos as implicações de nossas descobertas para a pesquisa de serviços.

Para mejorar el desempeño del servicio en organizaciones para personas con discapacidad intelectual, los autores pusieron a prueba una intervención basada en equipos colaborativos. En concreto, profesionales y familias colaboraron en el diseño e implementación de proyectos para mejorar la calidad de vida de las personas con discapacidad intelectual. Se consideraron dos indicadores de desempeño del servicio reportados por los miembros de la familia (N = 342; 78% mujeres; y una edad promedio de 57,17 años): calidad del servicio y apertura en comunicación sobre autodeterminación. Nuestros resultados revelaron que los miembros de la familia asignados a la condición experimental mejoraron sus evaluaciones de calidad del servicio desde la preintervención hasta la postintervención, mientras que los miembros de la familia asignados a la condición de control no cambiaron sus evaluaciones. La intervención no fue eficaz para la apertura en comunicación. Las percepciones se mantuvieron estables en los familiares que participaron en los equipos (condición experimental), mientras que la apertura en comunicación disminuyó en los familiares en la condición de control. Se analizan las implicaciones de nuestros hallazgos para la investigación de servicios.