Does Institutional Type Matter? Leadership, Trust, and Faculty Performance in Public and Private Zambian Universities

This study explores the structural and relational mechanisms linking leadership, trust, and employee performance within public and private higher education institutions (HEIs) in Zambia. Drawing on Social Exchange Theory and the Leader-Member Exchange (LMX) framework, data was gathered from a cross-sectional survey of 276 academic staff across 43 participating HEIs. Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) was deployed to evaluate the relationships among perceived leader trustworthiness (ability, benevolence, and integrity), dual-target trust (individual and organizational), and composite work outcomes (commitment, engagement, productivity, and effectiveness).