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Recent developments in the organizational sciences reflect the importance of interpersonal trust relationships for sustaining individual and organizational effectiveness. Researchers have recognized trust's influence on coordination and control at both institutional (Shapiro, 1987, 1990; Zucker, 19861 and interpersonal levels of organization (Granovetter, 1985; Pennings & Woiceshyn, 1987). Because economic action is embedded within networks of social relationships (Bradach & Eccles, 1989; Fichman & Levinthal, 1991; Granovetter, 1985; Larson, 1992), researchers have argued that efficiency within complex systems of coordinated action is only possible when interdependent actors work together effectively. Trust between such actors is seen as a determining factor (Pennings & Woiceshyn, 1987; Seabright, Leventhal, & Fichman, 1992).
For managers and professionals in organizations, developing and maintaining trust relationships is especially important. As boundary spanners, managers work through critical horizontal ties to external constituencies on which their departments or organizations depend (Mintzberg, 1973; Sayles, 1979). Given the complexity and uncertainty inherent in managerial work and the amount of mutual accommodation it involves, effective horizontal working relationships within organizations are also critical (Gabarro, 1990; Sayles, 1979). As Thompson (1967) observed, under conditions of uncertainty and complexity, requiring mutual adjustment, sustained effective coordinated action is only possible where there is mutual confidence or trust.
Although trust's importance has been acknowledged, the matter of how it develops and functions has received little systematic theoretical attention. The present work develops and tests a theoretical model based on the sociological literature on trust (Barber, 1983; Lewis & Wiegert, 1985; Luhman, 1979; Shapiro, 1990; Zucker, 1986) and social-psychological work on trust in close relationships (Johnson-George & Swap, 1982; Rempel, Holmes, & Zanna, 1985). The present research was designed to contribute to understanding of the nature and functioning of interpersonal trust relationships by (1) distinguishing between two principal forms of interpersonal trust--cognition-based trust, grounded in individual beliefs about peer reliability and dependability, and affect-based trust, grounded in reciprocated interpersonal care and concern--(2) identifying factors influencing the development of each form of trust, and (3) examining the implications of each trust form for coordination-relevant behavior, including monitoring to control peers, defensive behavior, monitoring to assist peers, and interpersonal citizenship behavior.
THEORETICAL FOUNDATIONS
Interpersonal trust is a pervasive phenomenon in organizational life. Trust enables people to take risks: "where there is trust there is...