Linking Influence Centrality and Employee Outcomes: The Effects of Trust Centrality

We theorized and tested the underlying mechanism by which influence centrality (i.e., central position in interpersonal influence networks) relates to employee outcomes (i.e., job performance and organizational citizenship behaviors). Based on a sample of 595 employee-supervisor pairs from 25 organizations, results revealed a positive relationship between influence centrality and employee outcomes. In addition, influence centrality was indirectly associated with employee outcomes via psychological empowerment. Furthermore, the relationship between influence centrality and empowerment was moderated by trust centrality (i.e., central position in interpersonal trust networks), such that the relationship was positive when trust centrality was high, but not significant when trust centrality was low.