Purpose: The study addresses the building blocks of goal congruence among local governments by presenting a conceptual study on the impact of collectivism on the organizational trust - goal congruence relationship. Methodology: We apply structural equation modeling (AMOS) to test the hypotheses. Findings: The study finds that organisational trust and collectivism are positively and significantly associated. The study also finds that collectivism is positively correlated with goal congruence. The study did not find a direct significant association between organizational trust and goal congruence, except through collectivism. Implications: This study demonstrates that organizational trust on its own may not influence goal congruence among local government except through collectivism. Originality: The results provide initial evidence that enrich stewardship studies by confirming that variations in organizational trust enhance collectivism for goal congruence in the delivery of public services.

Research Paper