Towards a more humanistic understanding of organizational trust

Purpose - The aim of this paper is to propose a wider and more humanistic understanding of the phenomenon of trust and "trust building" through a dialogue between ethics and social sciences.Design methodology approach - This paper offers a constructive critical review of the explanation of...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Journal of management development 2011-06, Vol.30 (6), p.605-614
Main Authors: Guillén Parra, Manuel, Lleó de Nalda, Álvaro, Santiago Marco Perles, Ginés
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Behavior
Calculus
Communication
Credibility
Ethics
Field Studies
Integrity
Social sciences
Studies
Trust
Trust (Psychology)
Trustees
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Summary:Purpose - The aim of this paper is to propose a wider and more humanistic understanding of the phenomenon of trust and "trust building" through a dialogue between ethics and social sciences.Design methodology approach - This paper offers a constructive critical review of the explanation of trust proposed by Mayer et al. in their 1995 seminal article, and expands this by considering the ethical dimension and the role of virtues.Findings - The integrative model of organizational trust by Mayer et al. lacks a specific reference to the role played by human will and the ability to make free choices. When assessing the trust built in a relationship, an explicit consideration of human will should be included in the related model, and specifically, reference to moral virtues and practical wisdom as elements involved in this trust-building process.Practical implications - It improves the understanding of the dynamics of trust in human relationships, which is key, as numerous studies in management carried out over the past decades show. Having an increasingly clear and complete understanding of trust is fundamental to understand, analyze, develop and manage interpersonal relationships within organizations.Originality value - This article proposes a holistic conception of organizational trust, which allows for a more complete vision of the renowned model of Mayer et al. It does this by specifically considering the role of human will in both the trustor and in the trustee, and by incorporating an ethical vision which considers the trustee's perception on virtues and practical wisdom in the understanding of the phenomenon of trust.
ISSN:0262-1711
1758-7492
DOI:10.1108/02621711111135206