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10 - Can trust flourish where institutionalized distrust reigns?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 July 2014

Reinhard Bachmann
Affiliation:
Surrey School of Business
Edeltraud Hanappi-Egger
Affiliation:
Vienna University of Economics
Jared D. Harris
Affiliation:
University of Virginia
Brian Moriarty
Affiliation:
University of Virginia
Andrew C. Wicks
Affiliation:
University of Virginia
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Summary

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

the situation

The global financial crisis has made one thing abundantly clear: trusting too much, particularly without having any reliable control mechanisms in place, is a very risky strategy. If we trust too much and ignore the possibility of opportunistic behavior, greed, and fraud, we are likely to be disappointed and bitterly regret it.

key questions

What can provide protection from the forces of untamed capitalism? Clearly, trust and distrust have their legitimate places in business relationships. The crucial question, however, is how these two mechanisms may fruitfully coexist.

new knowledge

With reference to the two-tiered governance systems of incorporated companies in Austria and Germany, it is shown how interpersonal trust can coexist with institutionalized distrust mechanisms within organizations.

Reliance on a dominant form of interpersonal trust between organizational members, meant to create checks and balances within the network, could result in negative effects such as complicity and corruption. The latter, however, can be avoided by strong institutionalized forms of distrust that exist alongside trust within the organization. Such structures may be conducive to (re)establishing and maintaining the perceived trustworthiness of business organizations.

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Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2014

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