Principles of Organizational Behavior, 3rd Edition

17Foster Trust Through Ability, Benevolence, and Integrity

JASON A. COLQUITT¹ AND MICHAEL D. BAER²

¹University of Notre Dame

²Arizona State University

EDITORS' NOTE

Earlier versions of this chapter were authored by Sabrina C. Salam, who died tragically in a car accident on April 4, 2005. The current authors are indebted to Sabrina for all her contributions to the foundation of this work.

Concerns about trust are woven into many aspects of working life. Encounters with new coworkers, leaders, or followers are dominated by questions about trust, setting the tone for future interactions. As relationships develop, trust serves as a guide that paces the openness, investment, and spontaneity of the interactions between individuals at work. As individuals navigate their way through hierarchical relationships, trust influences decisions about whether to cooperate with directives at the risk of exploitation. Finally, trust takes on a renewed importance in times of organizational crisis, as it can help maintain a sense of confidence and optimism during tough times.

The academic literature defines trust as the willingness of a trustor to be vulnerable to the actions of a trustee based on positive expectations about the trustee's characteristics, behaviors, and intentions (Mayer, Davis, and Schoorman, 1995). When employees trust their supervisors, they would be prepared to grant them influence over important issues by – for example – disclosing sensitive or personal information (Mayer ...