Abstract:
This study explored the impact of trust in transformational leadership on the implementation
of robotic process automation (RPA) which to date has not been widely researched. The
study further explored whether if trust was present, its impact was to diminish the fear of job
losses. As part of this study, the integrative trust model developed by Mayer, Schoorman &
Davis was used to measure trust. To understand these research questions a questionnaire
was administered to employees (N = 313) of which 224 were considered valid for the
purpose of testing. The results of the testing show that there was no relation between trust in
transformational leadership on the implementation of RPA, although tests indicate that there
is a chance that trust in transformational leadership impacts the implementation of RPA.
Similarly, the results showed that there was no relationship between trust in transformational
leadership and the fear of job losses but there is a chance that trust impacts the fear of job
losses. In addition, the study showed that there were high levels of trust, belief in the
implementation of RPA and little fear of job losses. The findings offered support for positive
future developments in research and practice whilst understanding the business problem
relating to whether trust in transformational leadership can influence the effective
implementation of RPA and lead to a decrease in the fear of job losses.
