Getting to know you: a longitudinal examination of trust cues and trust development during socialization

Despite recent theoretical advances, the pattern of trust development between coworkers has yet to receive focused longitudinal attention. Furthermore, current theory suggests that employees attend to an array of independent trust cues in any given situation but fails to identify which cues are important when. In a four wave longitudinal field study we demonstrate how new coworker intentions to engage in trust behaviors (reliance and disclosure) evolve during employee socialization, and examine the trust cues that prime decisions to trust. We present a latent growth model of trust development which reveals, for the first time, that reliance and disclosure intentions in early work relationships develop in a positive, nonlinear pattern over time. Furthermore, the study indicates that propensity to trust has a statistically significant effect on the initial status of intention to rely on and disclose information with coworkers but not on changes in trust behavior over time. The multi wave design permits comprehensive assessment of the change in impact of different trust cues over time and demonstrates that the importance of certain cues varies depending primarily on the type of trust in question, and potentially changes as a relationship matures. We discuss the theoretical implications and directions for future research

On what bases? The role of trust cues in longitudinal trust development during newcomer socialisation

Despite recent theoretical advances, the pattern of trust development between coworkers is a topic of dispute and many basic trust processes remain unclear. Increasingly, trust researchers are recognising that trust development is a context specific process that requires more nuanced empirical investigation of trust changes over time and in specific situations. Furthermore, theory suggests that employees attend to an array of independent trust cues but it fails to identify which cues are important when. Using a four wave longitudinal field study with 193 participants, this research demonstrates how new coworker intentions to engage in trust behaviours (reliance and disclosure) evolve during employee socialisation, and examine the trust cues that prime decisions to trust. Drawing on existing theory, it is hypothesised that early trust intentions will be related to individual trust propensity and that intention to engage in trust behaviour will increase over time. It is also hypothesised that early trust will be presumptive, based on information about coworker roles, the rules inherent in the organisation, and identification with the coworker group. In contrast, it is expected that as relationships develop, trust will be based on more personal cues (coworker trustworthiness). Latent growth modelling reveals that both reliance and disclosure intentions develop in a positive, non-linear pattern over time. Furthermore, the findings indicate that propensity to trust has a statistically significant effect on the initial status of intention to rely on and disclose information with coworkers but not on changes in trust behaviour over time. The multi-wave design permits comprehensive assessment of the change in the impact of different trust cues over time on intentions to engage in trust behaviour and finds that the importance of certain cues change as a relationship matures. Based on these findings implications for theory, practice and future research are discussed

Individual trust and the internet

The emergence of Web 2.0 technologies and associated services heralded a second generation of the Internet emphasising collaboration and sharing amongst users. This resulted in a seismic shift in the relationship between individual consumers and firms but also between individual consumers and the Internet as a system. Consumers, not firms, became an emerging locus of value production and through the ability to publish and connect with known and unknown others, an emerging locus of power (Berthon, Pitt, Plangger, & Shapiro, 2012). Powered by broadband telecommunications and device connectivity, the intensity of these changes was further deepened by being freed from the desktop to the mobile web. We are more connected now than ever before. The high levels of societal interconnectedness encouraged by the internet have made trust an even more vital ingredient in today’s society (Hardin, 2006). The more recent development of Web 3.0 technology emphasises ubiquitous connectivity and a machine-facilitated understanding of information that may once more change the locus of activity, value production and control. In order to keep pace with the issues of contemporary society, trust researchers must consider the how trust relationships and perceptions operate and are influenced by the online environment. This chapter will discuss how traditional trust concepts translate to the online context and will examine empirical literature on online trust at three different levels. Interpersonal trust between individuals using the internet as a medium for communication is particularly relevant in a world where personal and professional relationships are increasingly mediated by technology. We will also discuss the role of the internet in relationships between individuals and organisations with particular attention to the provision of e-services. Finally, we discuss trust in the system of the internet itself as a distributed connected infrastructure made up of indirect system service providers which are often nameless or in the background. Our focus in the chapter is on individual trust in other individuals, organisations and the system of the internet itself. Trust from the perspective of the organisation may also be of interest to trust scholars. This includes issues relating to organisational trust in individuals, inter-organisational trust, and organisational trust in the system of the Internet itself however these topics are outside of the scope of this chapter (see Perks & Halliday, 2003; Ratnasingam, 2005)

Empowering leadership: balancing self-determination and accountability for motivation

Purpose This study set out to investigate the role of self-determination and accountability in the relationship between empowering leadership, motivation and performance. Design/Methodology/Approach Data were collected from 172 participants working in an international software development organization. Hypotheses were tested in PROCESS using the Preacher and Hayes (2008) bootstrapping method. Findings Results indicate that empowering leadership played a significant role satisfying basic psychological needs. As expected, the satisfaction of needs is related to autonomous motivation. Crucially, perceived accountability was also positively related to autonomous motivation. Research Limitations The cross-sectional design of our study limits our ability to rule out the possibility of reverse causation. Practical Implications The results suggest that traditional management practices such as accountability can be successfully utilized in conjunction with self-determination theory without undermining autonomous motivation. Our study highlights two key opportunities for HR professionals. Specifically, by equipping managers with the skills to display empowering leadership behaviors, and by communicating organizational values and individual job meaning to enhance identified forms of motivation, HR can fully realize the benefits of autonomous employee motivation. Originality/value This paper offers valuable insight into how leaders can balance the satisfaction of basic psychological needs with accountability to influence autonomous motivation in employees. The model presented demonstrates the potential of empowering leadership in achieving this balance and highlights the importance of identified motivation as a powerful correlate of work performance

Merger-specific trust cues in the development of trust in new supervisors during an organizational merger : A naturally occurring quasi-experiment

Organizational mergers and subsequent restructurings often create situations in which employees are assigned a new supervisor and they start to form a new relationship. In this study, we investigated how the development of trust in a new supervisor is affected by trust cues specific to the merger context. We conducted a quasi-experiment using three-wave longitudinal data to follow the development of trust throughout two years. About half of the participants were assigned a new supervisor between pre-merger (Time 1) and first post-merger (Time 2) measurement time points, while the remaining participants continued to work with the same supervisor. Results showed that new supervisor's outgroup membership prior to the merger was negatively related, while favorable outgroup attitudes and perceptions of top management reliability were positively related to the development of trust. These cues were important especially in the early phase of the relationship but their relative importance decreased over time.Organizational mergers and subsequent restructurings often create situations in which employees are assigned a new supervisor and they start to form a new relationship. In this study, we investigated how the development of trust in a new supervisor is affected by trust cues specific to the merger context. We conducted a quasi-experiment using three-wave longitudinal data to follow the development of trust throughout two years. About half of the participants were assigned a new supervisor between pre-merger (Time 1) and first post-merger (Time 2) measurement time points, while the remaining participants continued to work with the same supervisor. Results showed that new supervisor's outgroup membership prior to the merger was negatively related, while favorable outgroup attitudes and perceptions of top management reliability were positively related to the development of trust. These cues were important especially in the early phase of the relationship but their relative importance decreased over time.Peer reviewe

Should You Disclose a Data Breach via Social Media? Evidence from US Listed Companies

Data breaches represent one of the main concerns for executives across all sectors. Data breaches open a period of crisis for the affected firm and require them to disclose complex information to a variety of stakeholders in a timely and proper manner. This paper investigates the relationship between social media disclosure of a data breach and its cost, as proxied by the response of the affected firm’s stock price. Using an event study methodology on a sample of 32 data breaches from 29 US publicly-traded firms from 2011 to 2014, we find that social media disclosure exacerbates the negative stock price’ s response to the announcement. However, such a negative association is contingent on firm’s visibility on traditional media with social media disclosure having a beneficial effect for low-visibility companies

I left Venus and came back to Mars: temporal focus congruence in Dyadic relationships following maternity leave

Temporal focus on past, present, and future of contributions to work is critical to understanding how employees and their line managers navigate career disruptions and minimize their potential for negative impact. This paper reframes temporal focus using a dyadic, relational perspective to explore how temporal focus (in)congruence shapes resocialization experiences for returners and their line managers following maternity leave disruption. Our qualitative study draws on 54 interviews across 27 organizations and demonstrates that a congruent, broader temporal focus—that embraces the past, present, and future—is associated with more positive relational and career outcomes than an incongruent focus, where one dyadic partner holds a narrow temporal focus. Our findings explicate how the adoption of a broad versus narrow temporal focus creates a perception of maternity leave as either a brief interlude or a major disruption. A congruent, broader temporal focus allows returners and their line managers to reduce their reliance on typical motherhood biases and instead, consider the woman’s past, present, and potential future contributions over the course of her career. We highlight the importance of temporal focus congruence at a dyadic level and the value of adopting a broader temporal focus on careers while offering new insights regarding the temporal dynamics inherent to maternity leave transitions for both returners and their managers

A trait-state model of trust propensity: Evidence from two career transitions

Trust propensity is typically conceptualized as a stable, trait-like, exogenous variable. Drawing on the social investment principle of personality change, we argue that trust propensity has situationally specific components and is likely to be less stable during periods of career transition. Using a latent curve-latent state-trait model, we present evidence that suggests that trust propensity has stable (trait) and unstable (state) components during career transition periods and that it has the potential to change over time. Our results are replicated across two, transitional workplace populations during a process of (re)socialization into an organization. In our second study, we also expand our focus to examine correlates of trust propensity and demonstrate the relationship between state and trait trust propensity and cognitive depletion. Our paper significantly extends knowledge of the nature of trust propensity and raises questions about the stability of this construct, one of the core tenets of trust theory

A trust label system for communicating trust in cloud services.

Cloud computing is rapidly changing the digital service landscape. A proliferation of Cloud providers has emerged, increasing the difficulty of consumer decisions. Trust issues have been identified as a factor holding back Cloud adoption. The risks and challenges inherent in the adoption of Cloud services are well recognised in the computing literature. In conjunction with these risks, the relative novelty of the online environment as a context for the provision of business services can increase consumer perceptions of uncertainty. This uncertainty is worsened in a Cloud context due to the lack of transparency, from the consumer perspective, into the service types, operational conditions and the quality of service offered by the diverse providers. Previous approaches failed to provide an appropriate medium for communicating trust and trustworthiness in Clouds. A new strategy is required to improve consumer confidence and trust in Cloud providers. This paper presents the operationalisation of a trust label system designed to communicate trust and trustworthiness in Cloud services. We describe the technical details and implementation of the trust label components. Based on a use case scenario, an initial evaluation was carried out to test its operations and its usefulness for increasing consumer trust in Cloud services.N/

Building consumer trust in the cloud: an experimental analysis of the cloud trust label approach

The lack of transparency surrounding cloud service provision makes it difficult for consumers to make knowledge based purchasing decisions. As a result, consumer trust has become a major impediment to cloud computing adoption. Cloud Trust Labels represent a means of communicating relevant service and security information to potential customers on the cloud service provided, thereby facilitating informed decision making. This research investigates the potential of a Cloud Trust Label system to overcome the trust barrier. Specifically, it examines the impact of a Cloud Trust Label on consumer perceptions of a service and cloud service provider trustworthiness and trust in the cloud service and cloud service provider. An experimental study was carried out with a sample of 227 business decision makers with data collected before exposure to the label to examine initial perceptions and after exposure to the label to examine any change in perceptions and attitudes. As hypothesised, the results suggest that Cloud Trust Labels that contain positive information can have a positive impact on trust and trustworthiness while Cloud Trust Labels that contain negative information have a negative impact. The practical implications of this new method of communicating trustworthiness online are discussed and recommendations are made for future research