How transformational leadership influences the knowledge-sharing process: Mediating the role of trust

In this study, we investigates the mediating effects of affect-based and cognition-based trust on the relationship between transformational leadership and follower’s knowledge sharing process (knowledge donating and knowledge collecting), using data collected from 295 employees in the 32 pharmaceutical companies of Lahore. The findings from structural equation modeling indicate that transformational leadership directly affect follower’s knowledge donating and knowledge collecting. In addition, mediation findings showed that transformational leadership indirectly influence follower’s knowledge donating and knowledge collecting through the mediation of affect-based trust in the leader, whereas cognition-based trust had insignificant mediation effect between these relationships. Theoretical contributions in the leadership literature and practical implications regarding follower’s knowledge sharing process in the context of pharmaceutical companies are then discussed.