Theoretical Implications from the First Study

The previous chapter presented the first of a series of separate, yet related, field studies exploring the nature and role of interpersonal trust in the entrepreneurial venture. The first study utilised a semi-structured interview questionnaire to map out the frequency and importance of five situational trust types, identified by criteria derived from the Theoretical Model of Situational Trust Development. It found that, of the five trust types described in the model, familiarity reliance-based trust and dependence-based trust appeared to be most common in the small-business setting, while confidence-based trust and CSQ reliance-based trust appeared to be most important — with regard to their relative impact on business development. Commensurate with this was the finding that the theoretical model of situational trust development appears to allow an accurate identification of different trust types in the field, as well as a correct representation of the development of interpersonal situational trust over time. Analysis of transcripts from the first study also identified the impact of cooperation on trust and raised the notion of ‘insufficient trust’ (as opposed to distrust) affecting cooperation, and found evidence of the impact of self-trust on the part of the entrepreneur.