Mediation effects of perceived authenticity and organizational justice on the relationship between information transparency and organizational trust in Jiangxi, China

Organizational trust crises in China's higher education institutions (HEIs) are becoming increasingly acute. As core organizational stakeholders, lecturers are showing heightened skepticism towards the credibility of institutional communication and governance, particularly during online public opinion crises. Organizational trust is essential for sustaining internal cohesion and ensuring effective governance in HEIs. Yet, empirical evidence on how to cultivate and maintain organizational trust in crisis contexts within China's HEIs remains limited. This study bridges this gap by examining the relationship between information transparency and organizational trust, grounded in the Signaling Theory and Social Exchange Theory. It further investigates the mediating roles of perceived authenticity and organizational justice. A quantitative research design was employed using a structured online survey. It was distributed via WeChat through the WJX platform. Stratified random sampling yielded 375 valid data from lecturers from five HEIs in Jiangxi Province. Data analysis was conducted using SPSS 27 and SmartPLS 4.0. The findings indicate that lecturers ' perceptions of information transparency, authenticity, organizational justice, and organizational trust are at moderate levels. All three dimensions of information transparency, namely disclosure, accuracy, and clarity, are significantly and positively associated with organizational trust, with the accuracy dimension exerting the strongest influence. Furthermore, perceived authenticity and organizational justice act as partial mediators in these relationships. Theoretically, this study enriches the conceptualization of organizational trust by contextualizing it within public opinion crises in China's HEIs, integrating perceived authenticity and organizational justice into the trust-building process, and extending the application of the Signaling Theory and Social Exchange Theory to higher education crisis communication. Practically, the findings provide strategic guidance for HEI leaders to institutionalize transparent, accurate, and fair communication practices, thereby strengthening trust and enhancing crisis resilience in China's dynamic digital media environment.