From Trust Convergence to Trust Divergence: Trust Development in Conflictual Inter-Organizational Relationships

TY - JOUR

T1 - From Trust Convergence to Trust Divergence: Trust Development in Conflictual Inter-Organizational Relationships

AU - Brattström, Anna

AU - Faems, Dries

AU - Mähring, Magnus

PY - 2019/11/8

Y1 - 2019/11/8

N2 - Whereas extant research on trust in interorganizational relationships tends to focus on trust convergence – i.e. members of one focal firm developing similar trust perceptions toward a partner firm – we shift focus to trust divergence – i.e. members of one focal firm developing different trust perceptions toward a partner firm. To explore trust divergence, we conduct an inductive, longitudinal study of one interorganizational relationship characterized by mutual transgressions. We identify shifts in attentional perspectives and referent categorizations as two novel mechanisms for theorizing trust development in interorganizational relationships. In particular, we develop a process model illuminating how these two mechanisms can contribute to trust development patterns in interorganizational relationships that are more discontinuous than existing models would predict. Moreover, we highlight the constructive implications of trust divergence for interorganizational collaboration in the presence of transgression and conflict.

AB - Whereas extant research on trust in interorganizational relationships tends to focus on trust convergence – i.e. members of one focal firm developing similar trust perceptions toward a partner firm – we shift focus to trust divergence – i.e. members of one focal firm developing different trust perceptions toward a partner firm. To explore trust divergence, we conduct an inductive, longitudinal study of one interorganizational relationship characterized by mutual transgressions. We identify shifts in attentional perspectives and referent categorizations as two novel mechanisms for theorizing trust development in interorganizational relationships. In particular, we develop a process model illuminating how these two mechanisms can contribute to trust development patterns in interorganizational relationships that are more discontinuous than existing models would predict. Moreover, we highlight the constructive implications of trust divergence for interorganizational collaboration in the presence of transgression and conflict.

KW - attentional perspective

KW - trust

KW - trust divergence

KW - referent social categorization

KW - distrust

KW - interorganizational relationships

UR - https://journals.sagepub.com/eprint/JWjKyc34Rg5rJMuhqfin/full

U2 - 10.1177/0170840618789195

DO - 10.1177/0170840618789195

M3 - Article

VL - 40

SP - 1685

EP - 1711

JO - Organization Studies

JF - Organization Studies

SN - 1741-3044

IS - 11

ER -