Trust in Temporary Groups

As organizations have moved toward less centralized arrangements, interdependence of individuals and units has become more common. One of the most important determinants of performance in interdependent systems is trust (Axelrod, 1984; Kramer, 1999). Without some level of trust, transaction costs in an interdependent system become unmanageable, and the system fails. There are a variety of factors that influence the development of trust. One of the most important is experience. In particular, trust between one entity and another develops as a result of the trustor experiencing competent, reliable, well-intentioned behavior on the part of the trustee. This â?oswift trustâ?? is likely to be more fragile than trust that is allowed to develop more slowly. Thus, in addition to establishing the determinants of trust in temporary work groups, it would be useful to examine the factors that allow the initial trust in temporary groups to develop into a less fickle form of trust should the group remain together for a more extended period of time