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Trust as an Organizing Principle

Author

Listed:
  • Bill McEvily

    (Graduate School of Industrial Administration, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213-3890)

  • Vincenzo Perrone

    (The Institute of Organization and MIS, Bocconi University, 20136 Milan, Italy)

  • Akbar Zaheer

    (Strategic Management and Organization Department, Carlson School of Management 3-365, University of Minnesota, 321 19th Avenue South, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455)

Abstract

Although research on trust in an organizational context has advanced considerably in recent years, the literature has yet to produce a set of generalizable propositions that inform our understanding of the organization and coordination of work. We propose that conceptualizing trust as an organizing principle is a powerful way of integrating the diverse trust literature and distilling generalizable implications for how trust affects organizing. We develop the notion of trust as an organizing principle by specifying structuring and mobilizing as two sets of causal pathways through which trust influences several important properties of organizations. We further describe specific mechanisms within structuring and mobilizing that influence interaction patterns and organizational processes. The principal aim of the framework is to advance the literature by connecting the psychological and sociological micro-foundations of trust with the macro-bases of organizing. The paper concludes by demonstrating how the framework can be applied to yield novel insights into traditional views of organizations and to stimulate original and innovative avenues of organizational research that consider both the benefits and downsides of trust.

Suggested Citation

  • Bill McEvily & Vincenzo Perrone & Akbar Zaheer, 2003. "Trust as an Organizing Principle," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 14(1), pages 91-103, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:inm:ororsc:v:14:y:2003:i:1:p:91-103
    DOI: 10.1287/orsc.14.1.91.12814
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    References listed on IDEAS

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