The role of participative leadership and trust-based mechanisms in eliciting intern performance: evidence from China

In this article, we investigate the relationship between participative leadership and job performance within the internship setting. Based on two-waves of survey data obtained from 309 intern-supervisor dyads, we find that participative leadership has a positive relationship with job performance, and that affective trust mediates that relationship. We also find that although cognitive trust is not significantly related to intern job performance, it mediates the relationship between participative leadership and affective trust. Our findings contradict those of previous research which question the effectiveness of participative leadership in short-term employment situations such as internships. They also highlight the importance of designing internships to be reflective of typical performance situations, characterized by participative leadership practices, rather than more directive leadership practices.