Professor Ranjay Gulati Professor Sim Sitkin
Katinka Bijlsma-Frankema Bart Nooteboom
In the past decade, issues of trust in inter- and intra-organisational relationships have been increasing in importance on the agendas of organisational scholars, legitimated by changes in the social structure of societies, economic exchange relations and organisational forms. Due to deterioration in the binding power of reciprocal obligations, of hierarchical relations and of social institutions relying on hierarchy to sanction deviant behaviour, other mechanisms to keep the social fabric of society intact seem to be required, in order to sustain co-operative behaviour in interactions. Within firms, lateral relationships and alliances are growing in importance, while new linkages between firms are being formed to achieve and maintain competitive advantage in the marketplace. In network forms and alliances, organisational performance becomes increasingly dependent on trustful relations between individuals and groups.
A related development is the virtualisation of relations within organizations and markets. The question can be asked whether ‘new communities (Peter Ring)’ like virtual teams and e-business relations and –networks create distinct trust requirements?
We invite researchers from a broad range of disciplines to submit papers to this two-day workshop to discuss their work on trust within and/or between organisations. We particularly encourage papers seeking to advance the agenda theoretically and/or empirically, and which are open to development through workshop interaction. Papers are welcome on any kind of topic or any perspective within our scope. Possible topics might include:
Session Chairs: Theme statement We anticipate that this theme may comprise of research seeking to address the following questions: However, this is not an exhaustive list and we would welcome other relevant micro-based topics. Final papers are due by September 26th 2003. The submission deadline is over
Researchers are invited to participate in a symposium on trust and control to be held at the 2nd Workshop on Trust Within and Between Organisations. The purpose of this symposium is to highlight relevant issues concerning trust and control, thereby contributing to the understanding of potential relationships between the two constructs. Control may be interpreted in a number of different ways. For example, bureaucratic control focuses on the social and organisational structure of the firm (for example, promotion, appraisal and reward systems), whereas humanistic control aims to match employee needs towards satisfying work and group interaction. The tightening or lessening of control mechanisms may also be associated with greater or lesser forms of employee autonomy and attempts to control workplace culture. Consequently, two questions arise. Firstly, i) How, and indeed whether, trust is related to control? and, secondly Final papers are due by September 26th 2003. The submission deadline is over Rationale for the SymposiumOver the past two decades there has been a proliferation of studies on the topic of trust reporting on the benefits for the effective functioning of individuals, teams, and organisations. At an interpersonal level, trust has been related to positive work attitudes and behaviours that enhance mutual learning, collaboration, cooperation and the acceptance of workplace changes that lead to higher levels of performance. It may also be argued that higher levels of performance are associated with various control mechanisms (such as those of soft and hard HRM) concentrating on increasing employee loyalty, productivity and cultural controls. Many authors agree that trust operates as a substitute of control because it reduces transaction costs. Hence, the trend towards empowering individuals and creating self-managed work teams has led to a decrease in many of the traditional control mechanisms used to monitor employees. Despite this, it has been argued that the increased recognition of the need for trust within contemporary workplace relationships does not necessarily mean there is less need for checks and controls. Several studies have shown that trust involved high cooperative behaviours and a lack of monitoring between colleagues, indicating that trust can work as a substitute for control. Conversely, studies focusing particularly on vertical work relationships, trust have been found to relate positively to monitoring, indicating that trust and control can go hand –in-hand. Consequently, empirical research has not, to date, generated decisive support for one stance over another. Trust and control may be associated to specific problems of risk and different risks create different areas of relevance that are related to trust. Also, the relationships between trust and monitoring are likely to change over time. If trust is to be developed within new relationships, requirements will be different to those experienced in a mature phase, where it may be perceived that monitoring is not needed to maintain optimal cooperation. In summary, the current growth in the trust literature provides a challenge to researchers, and particularly, to the development of measures relevant to the many levels of analysis and types of trust. The chairs of this symposium intend that the papers presented will generate healthy debate, thus advancing knowledge regarding the topics of trust and control.
Session chairs: Mark Dibben
Trust in the Public Sector is a series of seminars funded primarily by two UK research institutions, the ESRC and the Nuffield Trust, and running through 2002 and 2003. The purpose is to explore the role of trust in developing effective and efficient public services in a range of public sector domains, such as health care, education, criminal justice service and social care. Services largely delivered in the public sector (e.g. health care, social care and education) possess common characteristics that make market trading of these as ‘commodities’ problematic. Crucial among these problems is asymmetry of information and a relative lack of measurability. These characteristics in turn mean that transactions cannot readily be policed by explicit contracts and thus trust takes a prominent role in the relationship between service deliverer and client (e.g. doctor-patient, social worker-client, probation officer-offender, teacher-pupil). Political and managerial control and accountability in public sector organisations is similarly problematic because of the same core difficulties: asymmetry of information and immeasurability. Thus trust also lies at the heart of the intra- and inter-organisational relationships that may be seen to operate (e.g. in service commissioning; in professional accountability; or in exerting management control). Focus Issues Trust in the Public Sector is aimed at developing research capacity and capability in this major inter-disciplinary theme. Issues of particular focus include: a. Explorations of interpersonal trust in the professional-client relationship; Exploring these issues Because exploration can take place from many theoretical perspectives (e.g. economic, sociological, philosophical, ethical) and in many settings (public services, private sector, communities), there is a consequent difficulty in meeting and maintaining contact with researchers carrying out analogous work. Thus opportunities for cross-fertilisation are missed and productive collaboration happens only sporadically. That trust is such a cross-cutting theme also means that there is no obvious disciplinary or learned society base. In spite of this, a number of key points do need to be addressed, including: 1. A critical examination of the role of trust in public sector policy and management and, in particular, its relationship with risk. 2. The bringing together of academics from diverse disciplines (e.g. economics, sociology, social policy, public administration, organisation studies and political science) to encourage cross-fertilisation across perspectives and the development of research synergy. 3. The assessment of the practical relevance of academic models of trust to public policy formulation and implementation (in discussions with leading practitioners and key policy stakeholders). 4. Cross-sectoral learning and policy transfer between key public sector areas (most especially, health care, social care, education and criminal justice services). A number of key writers in public sector and public policy management have agreed in principle to give papers. Final papers are due by September 26th 2003. The submission deadline is over This session is supported by ESRC. Some limited funding is available to cover accommodation costs. More information on the Seminar Series can be found at www.st-andrews.ac.uk/~cppm/home.htm and click on
Session Chairs:
1. What are the processes of loosing trust? We are calling for papers that address this issues. Possible research questions are: 1. Rebuilding trust on different levels (individual, institutional, intermediated) Final papers are due by September 26th 2003. To submit, please go to the "call for papers" section and upload your paper electronically. You are also requested to send one copy to the session chairs :
Session Chair: In the latter stages of the twentieth century the business environment became increasingly turbulent requiring organizations to continually change and adapt in pursuit of success, or, in many cases, survival. There is little to suggest that the necessity of organizational change will diminish in the twenty first century. Organizations operate in an environment where the ability to successfully manage continuous change and to establish co-operative inter- and intra- organizational relationships have become accepted as necessary for survival. This is true not only for private sector organizations where it is argued that change is necessary to maintain competitive advantage, but also in the public sector. Here, change in traditional practice has been required in pursuit of greater accountability, efficiency and, in many cases, in order to compete with the private sector. Many of the ingredients for successful change in an organisation have also been identified as areas in which trust has a significant contribution to make, not least in the context of the relationships between individuals and groups. Change requires the sustained commitment and goodwill of staff at every level and, it has been argued that trust can significantly increase both commitment and effectiveness. Leadership based purely on the use of power, knowledge and control does not create a sustainable basis for motivating others or for generating commitment. Management and employees can more effectively achieve organisational goals if they trust and cooperate with each other. The potential cost of trust deficits, therefore, is enormous. Yet, change within organizations has, in many cases, challenged long established traditions, certainties, structures, working practices and assumptions. Undermining, in many cases, the very foundations on which trust has existed. From a management perspective, new approaches to work mean fundamental changes to the nature of management and the role, and extent, of trust increasingly becomes an issue. Through delegation of authority managers inevitably increase their vulnerability, for employees may behave opportunistically, personal needs may conflict with collective needs of the organisation or there may be incompetence or ignorance on the part of those in whom the authority is placed. From an employee perspective decades of change have had a significant impact on the employment relationship, organisational change is often perceived as destabilising and threatening, leaving obligations and expectations unfulfilled often leading to vulnerability, loss of security and inevitable mistrust. The nature, role and contribution of trust are therefore important factors which need to be explored in the context of attaining successful change. Authors are invited to submit papers which deal with any aspect of this topic. It is planned that the best papers presented in this track will be included in a special edition of the Journal of Strategic Change. Possible topics might include: Final papers are due by September 26th 2003. The submission deadline is over
Session Chair: Sandro Castaldo Trust is a construct that permeates all market relationships. It is a basic element in order to have an exchange of knowledge between buyer and supplier or partners of marketing alliances; it is the fundamental antecedent of collaboration in channel relationships, too. Trust allows for a positive closing of agreements between buyer and salesman, and it is an essential element of customer-based resources, e.g. brand equity and customer loyalty. Finally, trust is a fundamental prerequisite for the production of economic value. Researchers are invited to submit conceptual and empirical papers which deal in particular with the following topics: - New trust definitions, construct’s dimensions, antecedents and consequences Final papers are due by October 13th 2003. The submission deadline is over
To download the final programme of the Workshop, please click HERE.
THURSDAY EVENING BUFFET This evening buffet will be hosted by LOCATION : The workshop will take place in the Planetarium Gaasperplas, a conference center located a little bit outside of the Amsterdam City Center. Here is the address of the Planetarium Gaasperplas : From the following web site, please find a map of Amsterdam and some more practical information : http://www.vu.nl/english/algemeen/route.html
Cancellations made before October 15, 2003 will be reimbursed minus 20% of the total fee. No reimbursement will be possible after that date. Payments should be made by :
ADMINISTRATION Ms. Graziella Michelante - EIASM Conference ManagerEIASM - RUE FOSSÉ AUX LOUPS - 38 - BOX 3 - 1000 BRUSSELS - BELGIUM Tel: +32 2 226 66 62 - Fax: Email: michelante@eiasm.be
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