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INTRODUCTION
One of the recurring themes in negotiation and workplace relations is that of trust. Trust between parties is viewed as an integral--if not central--feature of the effective and productive work relationships; a lack of trust between management and unions, or between employer and employee is often suggested as the cause of disputation and of an inability to work through problems to satisfactory solutions 1-5!. However, although trust appears to be highly valued it is not clear exactly what trust is, nor is it clear how trust can be brought about. In fact, the clearest thing about trust seems to be when it is absent. The purpose of this article is to examine the nature of trust in negotiation and to address the question of how negotiators can negotiate when at the outset they do not trust each other.
One element of trust relates to integrity, that the word of another can be relied upon; another aspect is a propensity to take statements at face value 6-8!. Going beyond the interpersonal level, trust is often so closely linked to co-operation that the two appear indistinguishable (see, for example 9-12!). Trust is viewed as an understanding that the other party is willing to co-operate in some way, both in negotiation and in the maintenance of good relations between management, employees and unions. But the practical difficulties remain. If a person or party is known to have integrity and is desirous of co-operation then obviously it is easy to do business but what about when you have no evidence of these? Can you negotiate with a party you cannot yet trust?
This article will seek to define trust in a new manner which does not rely either on an individual's integrity or desire to co-operate. It will develop a perspective which is based on the premise that trust in a relationship can only be established in the context of the interactions between the parties in situations which call for trust. This allows for the evolution of trust within the negotiations and so address the difficulty of having to get to a point of trust when there is no trust to start with. Also, an attempt is made to identify the stage in the negotiation process where the...