The role of cultural factors in influencing the maintenance and/or enhancement of trust between two individuals acting as a dyad has received little research attention in trust and trust building. We discuss how a selected culture-specific factor (face) plays an influencing, if not imperative, role in trust and trust building in a Chinese context. We suggest that the preservation and/or enhancement of face acts as an indispensable factor to maintain and/or build trust in a Chinese context. We discuss the implications of our concept and offer suggestions for further research.

This study sought to examine how models of Western and Chinese leadership are changing and perhaps converging toward a notionally similar and possibly holistic concept of leadership. Methodology: We reviewed and analyzed research on Western and Chinese leadership published over the past sixty years to develop a different perspective from which to consider the future development of leadership concepts. Findings: We suggest that (1) since the middle of the twentieth century, paradigms of leadership have been changing; (2) Western and Chinese concepts of leadership, though historically different, are converging; and (3) leadership should be considered from a holistic rather than taxonomic perspective. Implications: A holistic view of leadership helps us consider how leadership might evolve and affect future business practices in China and the West. Originality: This paper presents a new perspective on Chinese and Western leadership that facilitates an understanding of how differences in leadership concepts could diminish and how business organizations might evolve in the future.

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Much has been written about trust and trust-building, but no consensual definition of trust has been developed. In this article, the definition of trust as a catalyst is proposed based on a deduction from an aggregation of peer-reviewed articles from across several disciplines and hermeneutic examination of the contents. The paper suggests that discipline-related points of view and common usage of trust as a noun and or a verb leads to confusion in trying to develop a consensual definition. Given the accepted universality of trust, a consensual definition would help achieve a further understanding of both trust and trust-building. The proposed definition permits recognition of discipline-related definitions and suggests the focus of trust should be directed to establishing the conditions under which trust enables successful exchange interactions (i.e., trust-building). The separation of trust and trust-building has implications for management and other relationships. Suggestions for further research are included.