ETHNIC IDENTITY SALIENCE, PERCEIVED ORGANIZATIONAL SUPPORT, AND LEADERSHIP STYLE: UNPACKING THE MEDIATING ROLE OF TRUST AND THE MODERATING EFFECT OF CULTURAL INTELLIGENCE ON TEAM COHESION

Abstract

This study investigated the antecedents of team cohesion in ethnically diverse organizations in Pakistan using the framework of social identity theory. Specifically, the study examined how ethnic identity salience, perceived organizational support, and transformational leadership influence team cohesion through the mediating variable of interpersonal trust and how cultural intelligence moderates the relationship between ethnic identity salience and trust. A cross-sectional research design was used and a sample of 312 working adults in the service sector in Pakistan were drawn and analyzed in a partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) framework. The results indicated that trust fully mediates the negative relationship between ethnic identity salience and team cohesion and is a partial mediator of the positive relationships between perceived organizational support and transformational leadership and cohesion. There was also a significant interaction effect indicating that cultural intelligence weakened the negative relationship between ethnic identity salience and trust. The implications of these results are discussed in terms of the necessity of establishing a supportive organizational climate, developing transformational leaders, and enhancing employees’ cultural intelligence to nurture trust and build team cohesion in ethnically diverse contexts.

Keywords: Ethnic Identity Salience, Perceived Organizational Support, Transformational Leadership, Interpersonal Trust, Cultural Intelligence, Team Cohesion, Social Identity Theory, Pakistani Organizations, Diversity Management, Cross-cultural Management, Organizational Behavior, Workplace Diversity, Team Dynamics.