Trust in work teams: An integrative review, multilevel model, and future directions

Abstract

Summary This article presents an integrative review of the rapidly growing body of research on trust in work teams. We start by analyzing prominent definitions of trust and their theoretical foundations, followed by different conceptualizations of trust in teams emphasizing its multilevel, dynamic, and emergent nature. We then review the empirical research and its underlying theoretical perspectives concerning the emergence and development of trust in teams. On the basis of this review, we propose an integrated conceptual framework that organizes the field and can advance knowledge of the multilevel nature of trust in teams. Our conclusion is that trust in teams resides at multiple levels of analysis simultaneously, is subject to factors across levels in organizations, and impacts performance and other relevant outcomes both at the individual and team levels. We argue that research should not only differentiate between interpersonal trust between members from collective trust at the team level but also emphasize the interplay within and between these levels by considering cross‐level influences and dynamics. We conclude by proposing 4 major directions for future research and 3 critical methodological recommendations for study designs derived from our review and framework.

Trust in organization as a moderator of the relationship between self‐efficacy and workplace outcomes: A social cognitive theory‐based examination

“…In contrast, those who experience low trust in organization will show a weaker link between self‐efficacy and extra role behaviours because inconsistency, unpredictability, and the possibility of bad intentions associated with low organizational trust will weaken the desire of confident employees to engage in extra‐role duties. In addition, those employees with high trust in organization may be more willing to engage in OCBs, when they have high self‐efficacy because they trust in their organization to remove setbacks as much as possible, facilitating the persistency of efforts, cooperation, coordination and perseverance in the activities/roles/tasks (Bandura, ; Breuer, Huffmeier, & Hertel, ; Costa, Fulmer, & Anderson, ). In other words, the motivation to perform OCBs will be higher among those who have high self‐efficacy under the condition of high employee trust in organization.…”

Changing workplaces in the creative process in creative industries – the case of advertising and music

“…It has been argued that the work processes of creative industries depend heavily on personal relationships to enable learning processes and the generation of new knowledge, leading to a huge body of literature dealing with social relations (e.g., Cohendet and siMon 2008;GrAbher and ibert 2017;sChMidt and brinks 2017;rutten 2017). This focus is explained as knowledge creation being highly dependent on trust (CostA et al 2018;Growe 2018a), and being shaped by norms, values, conventions and routines (AMin and Cohendet 2004;Müller and ibert 2015). In this context, social relations are crucial to understanding how firms and individual economic actors manage and reduce uncertainty in the process of knowledge generation and creative work (bosChMA 2005;Crespo and ViCente 2015;rutten 2017).…”

Taking the Leadership Role: Understanding Leadership Across Team and Organizational Boundaries in View of the Changing Employment Relationship

“…The third dimension focuses on the employment relationship as a co‐operation agreement in which permanent and temporary employees are viewed as partners who share responsibility to act in line with the interest of the organization, despite potential conflicting issues. Within virtual teams, employees manage themselves and rely on “swift trust” derived from professional role‐based settings (Costa et al, ). They enjoy higher levels of autonomy, flexibility, and responsibility to organize themselves.…”

“…The traditional employment relationship, often accompanied by direct control, motivation through reward, and trust based on long‐term interpersonal relationships, is no longer appropriate (Peters, Den Dulk, & de Ruijter, ). Old employment models are gradually being replaced by more indirect control mechanisms, institutionalized in human resource management (HRM) practices, autonomous motivation, and “swift trust” (Costa, Fulmer, & Anderson, ; Peters, Ligthart, Bardoel, & Poutsma, ). In this regard, leadership is a challenge.…”