IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/scaman/v31y2015i2p232-245.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Trusting as a ‘Leap of Faith’: Trust-building practices in client–consultant relationships

Author

Listed:
  • Nikolova, Natalia
  • Möllering, Guido
  • Reihlen, Markus

Abstract

Successful client–consultant relationships depend on trust, but trusting is difficult in the non-routine, high-stake context of consulting. Based on a sample of 15 clients and 16 consultants in Australia, we develop a grounded model that explains the process of trust granting in the context of client–consultant relationships. Our model builds upon two influential research streams on trust in the literature, the ABI model (Mayer et al., 1995. Academy of Management Review, 20(3), 709–734) and Zucker's (1986. Research in Organizational Behavior, 8, 53–111) generic modes of trust, and combines their insights with a process perspective on trusting as proposed by Möllering (2001. Sociology, 35(2), 403–420). By acknowledging the process nature of trust as a leap of faith resulting from socio-cognitive (-emotional) interactions we move away from the passive evaluation of trustworthiness. Our findings suggest that trusting is a process that involves three social practices: (1) signaling ability and integrity; (2) demonstrating benevolence; and (3) establishing an emotional connection. Our study contributes to the trust literature on consulting and to trust research more generally by advancing a process approach and emphasizing the social, not merely mental, nature of trusting as involving a leap of faith.

Suggested Citation

  • Nikolova, Natalia & Möllering, Guido & Reihlen, Markus, 2015. "Trusting as a ‘Leap of Faith’: Trust-building practices in client–consultant relationships," Scandinavian Journal of Management, Elsevier, vol. 31(2), pages 232-245.
  • Handle: RePEc:eee:scaman:v:31:y:2015:i:2:p:232-245
    DOI: 10.1016/j.scaman.2014.09.007
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0956522114001031
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.scaman.2014.09.007?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Mark R. Dibben, 2000. "Exploring Interpersonal Trust in the Entrepreneurial Venture," Palgrave Macmillan Books, Palgrave Macmillan, number 978-0-230-50952-8, December.
    2. Haridimos Tsoukas & Robert Chia, 2002. "On Organizational Becoming: Rethinking Organizational Change," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 13(5), pages 567-582, October.
    3. Adobor, Henry, 2005. "Trust as sensemaking: the microdynamics of trust in interfirm alliances," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 58(3), pages 330-337, March.
    4. Sirkka L. Jarvenpaa & Dorothy E. Leidner, 1999. "Communication and Trust in Global Virtual Teams," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 10(6), pages 791-815, December.
    5. Robert J. Bennett & Paul J. A. Robson, 2004. "The role of trust and contract in the supply of business advice," Cambridge Journal of Economics, Cambridge Political Economy Society, vol. 28(4), pages 471-488, July.
    6. Andrew C. Inkpen & Steven C. Currall, 2004. "The Coevolution of Trust, Control, and Learning in Joint Ventures," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 15(5), pages 586-599, October.
    7. Jörg Sydow & Arnold Windeler & Jörg Sydow & Arnold Windeler, 2003. "Knowledge, Trust, and Control: Managing Tensions and Contradictions in a Regional Network of Service Firms," International Studies of Management & Organization, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 33(2), pages 69-100, January.
    8. Nikolova, Natalia & Reihlen, Markus & Schlapfner, Jan-Florian, 2009. "Client-consultant interaction: Capturing social practices of professional service production," Scandinavian Journal of Management, Elsevier, vol. 25(3), pages 289-298, September.
    9. Graham Dietz, 2011. "Going back to the source: Why do people trust each other?," Journal of Trust Research, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 1(2), pages 215-222, June.
    10. Orton, James Douglas, 1997. "From inductive to iterative grounded theory: Zipping the gap between process theory and process data," Scandinavian Journal of Management, Elsevier, vol. 13(4), pages 419-438, December.
    11. Mats Alvesson, 1993. "Organizations As Rhetoric: Knowledge‐Intensive Firms And The Struggle With Ambiguity," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 30(6), pages 997-1015, November.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Alan R. Dennis & Lionel P. Robert & Aaron M. Curtis & Stacy T. Kowalczyk & Bryan K. Hasty, 2012. "Research Note ---Trust Is in the Eye of the Beholder: A Vignette Study of Postevent Behavioral Controls' Effects on Individual Trust in Virtual Teams," Information Systems Research, INFORMS, vol. 23(2), pages 546-558, June.
    2. Guiette, Alain & Vandenbempt, Koen, 2017. "Change managerialism and micro-processes of sensemaking during change implementation," Scandinavian Journal of Management, Elsevier, vol. 33(2), pages 65-81.
    3. Barbara Masiello & Alessandra Marasco & Francesco Izzo, 2013. "CO-creation in creative services: the role of client in advertising agencies? innovation," MERCATI & COMPETITIVIT?, FrancoAngeli Editore, vol. 2013(2), pages 131-155.
    4. Parrish, Bradley D., 2010. "Sustainability-driven entrepreneurship: Principles of organization design," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 25(5), pages 510-523, September.
    5. Boxer, Rosie & Berry, Aidan & Perren, Lew, 2012. "Differing perceptions of non-executive directors’ roles in UK SMEs: Governance conundrum or cultural anomaly?," Accounting forum, Elsevier, vol. 36(1), pages 38-50.
    6. Shen, Lu & Su, Chenting & Zheng, Xu & Zhuang, Guijun, 2019. "Contract design capability as a trust enabler in the pre-formation phase of interfirm relationships," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 95(C), pages 103-115.
    7. Kalle Pajunen & Liang Fang, 2013. "Dialectical tensions and path dependence in international joint venture evolution and termination," Asia Pacific Journal of Management, Springer, vol. 30(2), pages 577-600, June.
    8. Praxmarer-Carus, Sandra, 2014. "Why the proposal of a complex contract may harm or foster a partner's trust," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 67(7), pages 1421-1429.
    9. Hanisch, Bastian & Wald, Andreas, 2014. "Effects of complexity on the success of temporary organizations: Relationship quality and transparency as substitutes for formal coordination mechanisms," Scandinavian Journal of Management, Elsevier, vol. 30(2), pages 197-213.
    10. Duenas, Nelson & Mangen, Claudine, 2023. "Trust in international cooperation: Emotional and cognitive trust complement each other over time," CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON ACCOUNTING, Elsevier, vol. 92(C).
    11. Vlaar, P.W.L. & van den Bosch, F.A.J. & Volberda, H.W., 2006. "On the Evolution of Trust, Distrust, and Formal Coordination and Control in Interorganizational Relationships: Towards an Integrative Framework," ERIM Report Series Research in Management ERS-2006-035-STR, Erasmus Research Institute of Management (ERIM), ERIM is the joint research institute of the Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University and the Erasmus School of Economics (ESE) at Erasmus University Rotterdam.
    12. Robert Hurley, 2023. "An Organizational Capacity for Trustworthiness: A Dynamic Routines Perspective," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 188(3), pages 589-601, December.
    13. Han, Shaojie & Su, Jingqin & Lyu, Yibo & Liu, Qing, 2022. "How do business incubators govern incubation relationships with different new ventures?," Technovation, Elsevier, vol. 116(C).
    14. Burt, George & Mackay, David J. & van der Heijden, Kees & Verheijdt, Charlotte, 2017. "Openness disposition: Readiness characteristics that influence participant benefits from scenario planning as strategic conversation," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 124(C), pages 16-25.
    15. Shahzad Khurram & Sandra Charreire Petit, 2017. "Investigating the Dynamics of Stakeholder Salience: What Happens When the Institutional Change Process Unfolds?," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 143(3), pages 485-515, July.
    16. Gary T. Burke & Carola Wolf, 2021. "The Process Affordances of Strategy Toolmaking when Addressing Wicked Problems," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 58(2), pages 359-388, March.
    17. Buckley, Peter J. & Cross, Adam & De Mattos, Claudio, 2015. "The principle of congruity in the analysis of international business cooperation," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 24(6), pages 1048-1060.
    18. Sirkka L. Jarvenpaa & Ann Majchrzak, 2010. "Research Commentary ---Vigilant Interaction in Knowledge Collaboration: Challenges of Online User Participation Under Ambivalence," Information Systems Research, INFORMS, vol. 21(4), pages 773-784, December.
    19. Marina Fiedler & Isabell Welpe & Arnold Picot, 2010. "Understanding Radical Change: An Examination of Management Departments in German-speaking Universities," management revue. Socio-economic Studies, Rainer Hampp Verlag, vol. 21(2), pages 111-134.
    20. Ale Ebrahim, Nader & Ahmed Shamsuddin & Abdul Rashid, Salwa Hanim & Taha, Zahari, 2012. "Effective Virtual Teams for New Product Development," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, vol. 7(21), pages 1971-1985.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:scaman:v:31:y:2015:i:2:p:232-245. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_home/872/description#description .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.