Towards a more humanistic understanding of organizational trust

Abstract

Purpose

The aim of this paper is to propose a wider and more humanistic understanding of the phenomenon of trust and “trust building” through a dialogue between ethics and social sciences.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper offers a constructive critical review of the explanation of trust proposed by Mayer et al. in their 1995 seminal article, and expands this by considering the ethical dimension and the role of virtues.

Findings

The integrative model of organizational trust by Mayer et al. lacks a specific reference to the role played by human will and the ability to make free choices. When assessing the trust built in a relationship, an explicit consideration of human will should be included in the related model, and specifically, reference to moral virtues and practical wisdom as elements involved in this trust‐building process.

Practical implications

It improves the understanding of the dynamics of trust in human relationships, which is key, as numerous studies in management carried out over the past decades show. Having an increasingly clear and complete understanding of trust is fundamental to understand, analyze, develop and manage interpersonal relationships within organizations.

Originality/value

This article proposes a holistic conception of organizational trust, which allows for a more complete vision of the renowned model of Mayer et al. It does this by specifically considering the role of human will in both the trustor and in the trustee, and by incorporating an ethical vision which considers the trustee's perception on virtues and practical wisdom in the understanding of the phenomenon of trust.

Citation

Guillén Parra, M., Lleó de Nalda, Á. and Santiago Marco Perles, G. (2011), "Towards a more humanistic understanding of organizational trust", Journal of Management Development, Vol. 30 No. 6, pp. 605-614. https://doi.org/10.1108/02621711111135206