Trust: Decision Problem or Performance?

The Academy of Management Annual Meeting, Chicago, August 2009

38 Pages Posted: 20 Mar 2014

See all articles by Svein Tvedt Johansen

Svein Tvedt Johansen

UiT The Arctic University of Norway

Marcus Selart

Norwegian School of Economics (NHH) - Department of Strategy and Management

Kjell Gronhaug

Norwegian School of Economics (NHH) - Department of Strategy and Management

Date Written: 2009

Abstract

Established theories on trust-development explain trust as a product of information, portraying individuals as passive receptacles of trust-related information. These theories however tend to ignore the goals of the trustor. In short existing contribution on trusts tend to portray the development of trust as a decision problem. In this paper we suggest an alternative perspective of trust and trust formation, where we see trust as an intentional goal initiated performance. People trust other people in order to attain social ends. In order to effectively communicate trust people seek to influence their own subjective experience of trust. We refer to this second perspective as the Trust-as-Performance-perspective. The assumptions underlying the two perspectives are compared and contrasted. We show how the two perspectives can be seen as corresponding to different models of trust development. The final section discusses the possible relationships between the perspectives and how the two perspectives together may improve our understanding of trust in relationships.

Suggested Citation

Johansen, Svein Tvedt and Selart, Marcus and Gronhaug, Kjell, Trust: Decision Problem or Performance? (2009). The Academy of Management Annual Meeting, Chicago, August 2009, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2411701

Svein Tvedt Johansen

UiT The Arctic University of Norway ( email )

Norway
+4777058262 (Phone)

Marcus Selart (Contact Author)

Norwegian School of Economics (NHH) - Department of Strategy and Management ( email )

Breiviksveien 40
N-5045 Bergen
Norway
+47 55 95 96 95 (Phone)

Kjell Gronhaug

Norwegian School of Economics (NHH) - Department of Strategy and Management

Breiviksveien 40
N-5045 Bergen
Norway

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