Trusting is for Doing: On Goals, Mindsets, and Trust

(2014). Presented at 8th FINT/EIASM workshop on trust within and between organizations, Coventry, UK.

13 Pages Posted: 7 Feb 2015

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

Bjarne Espedal

Norwegian School of Economics (NHH)

Kjell Gronhaug

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

Date Written: February 3, 2015

Abstract

In this paper we seek to disentangle goals and trust, and argue that people’s goals while interacting with other people is likely to influence the experience of trust. This again builds on the assumptions that trust is not merely a basis for decisions but a factor that influences (often favorably) other valued outcomes. Our experience of trust helps us display trust which furthers relational goals (e.g. developing work-relationships). Thus, this paper adopts a pragmatic perspective on trust (Fiske, 1992; James, 1890): Paraphrasing Fiske (1992) and replacing thinking with trusting we argue that “trusting is for doing”. People’s experience of trust constitutes not only a basis for decisions but serves important ends in its own right, enabling people to interact with ease and confidence. People’s experience of trust not only influences peoples’ selection of goals but also influences peoples’ ability to attain those goals once selected. Trust enhances peoples’ ability to effectively influence other people in that people tend to trust people who trust (Williams, 2007, Weber, Malhotra & Murnighan, 2005). Trusting likewise reduces the load on peoples’ information processing capacity, and enables people to more effectively focus on task-interaction enhancing task performance (Schmeichel & Baumeister, 2004). The effects of goals on trust we suggest tend to be automatic, often unconscious and uncontrolled (Bargh & Williams, 2007).

Suggested Citation

Johansen, Svein Tvedt and Selart, Marcus and Espedal, Bjarne and Gronhaug, Kjell, Trusting is for Doing: On Goals, Mindsets, and Trust (February 3, 2015). (2014). Presented at 8th FINT/EIASM workshop on trust within and between organizations, Coventry, UK., Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2559779 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2559779

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)

Bjarne Espedal

Norwegian School of Economics (NHH) ( email )

Helleveien 30
Bergen, NO-5045
Norway

Kjell Gronhaug

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

Breiviksveien 40
N-5045 Bergen
Norway

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