Building and Rebuilding TrustWhy Perspective Taking Matters

Abstract

Abstract[Excerpt] There is growing interest surrounding the function of perspective taking in social interactions and organizational life. In this chapter, I examine the role of perspective taking in trust building and trust repair. Whereas some researchers focus on the ability of perspective taking to elicit sympathy, concern, and cooperative behavior (Batson, Turk, Shaw, & Klein, 1995; Parker, Atkins, & Axtell, 2008; Parker & Axtell, 2001), others focus on the strategic impact of perspective taking (Epley, Caruso, & Bazerman, 2006;Galinsky, Maddux, Gilin & White, 2008;Galinsky & Mussweiler, 2001). I build on both streams of research by examining work that connects perspective taking to trustworthy, cooperative behavior and by delineating how the proactive (or more strategic) aspects of perspective taking can generate and repair trust. Williams, M. (2012) Suggested Citation Building and Rebuilding Trust Why Perspective Taking Matters M I C H E L E W I L L I A M S C o r n e l l U n i v e r s i t y I N T R O D U C T I O NThere is growing interest surrounding the function of perspective taking in social interactions and organizational life. In this chapter, I examine the role of perspective taking in trust building and trust repair. Whereas some researchers focus on the ability of perspective taking to elicit sympathy, concern, and cooperative behavior (Batson, Turk, Shaw, & Klein, 1995; Parker, Atkins, & Axtell, 2008; Parker & Axtell, 2001;), others focus on the strategic impact of perspective taking (Epley, Caruso, & Bazerman, 2006;Galinsky, Maddux, Gilin & White, 2008;Galinsky & Mussweiler, 2001). I build on both streams of research by examining work that connects perspective taking to trustworthy, cooperative behavior and by delineating how the proactive (or more strategic) aspects of perspective taking can generate and repair trust.Perspective taking refers to the process of "imagining another person's thoughts or feeling from that persons point of view" (Davis, 1996;Mead, 1934). Perspective taking not only fosters understanding and caring actions that build social bonds, but also is likely to play a central role in active trust building (Williams, 2007) and trust repair. Although trust building and trust repair involve many of the same processes, I use the term "trust building" to refer to processes that increase trust, from a neutral or positive initial state-one that has not been damaged. In contrast, I use "trust repair" to refer to processes used to increase trust once a preexisting level of trust has been decreased by the actions of one party, the transgressor. Rebuilding trust is more complicated than initial trust building because the victim, who has been harmed, is likely to be concerned about additional harm and predisposed to believe that greater trust in the transgressor is not warranted (Kim, Dirks, 8c Cooper, 2009).Perspective taking may help transgressors and victims take proactive steps to repair trust violations, especially asymmetric trust violations (i.e., violations that are initially e...

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