Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in
Book cover

Trust and Trustworthiness across Cultures pp 1–15Cite as

Contextual Influences on Trust and Trustworthiness: An Etic Perspective

  • Chapter
  • First Online:

Abstract

In this chapter, we focus on trustworthiness as determined on the basis of role relationships – how these roles, nested in both societal and organizational cultures, help to operationalize trustworthiness. Although societal and organizational cultures both prescribe what is expected of an individual in a given social role, the two contexts are related, as organizational cultures are nested within societal cultures and are therefore constrained by societal culture. For example, power distance, a societal cultural variable that reflects the extent to which a society teaches its members that hierarchy is natural and expected, impacts how those at different levels of social hierarchy are expected to behave. In cultures where there is stronger hierarchy, those in lower power positions tend to disagree less with those in higher power positions, and a situation of dependency is more strongly fostered in high-power-distance cultures – both in society at large and in organizations.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.

Chapter
USD   29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD   99.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD   129.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD   129.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Learn about institutional subscriptions

Change history

  • 08 October 2021

    This book was inadvertently published without updating the following corrections in the chapters. The book has been updated with these changes.

References

  • Barney, J. B., & Hansen, M. H. (1994). Trustworthiness as a source of competitive advantage. Strategic Management Journal, 15, 175–190.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bechky, B. (2006). Gaffers, gofers, and grips: Role-based coordination in temporary organizations. Organization Science, 17(1), 3–21.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bhattacharya, R., Devinney, T. M., & Pillutla, M. M. (1998). A formal model of trust based on outcomes. Academy of Management Review, 23(3), 459–472.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bond, M. H. (2013). A general model for explaining situational influence on individual social behavior: Refining Lewin’s formula. Asian Journal of Social Psychology, 16, 1–15.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brodbeck, F. C., Frese, M., Akerblom, S., Audia, G., Bakacsi, G., Bendova, H., Bodega, D., Bodur, M., Booth, S., Brenk, K., Castel, P., Den Hartog, D., Donnelly-Cox, G., Gratchev, M. V., Holmberg, I., Jarmuz, S., Jesuino, J. C., Jorbenadse, R., Kabasakal, H. E., . . . Wunderer, R. (2000). Cultural variation of leadership prototypes across 22 European countries. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 73(1), 1–29.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chang, J. H., Yang, H., Yeh, K., & Hsu, S. (2016). Developing trust in close personal relationships: Ethnic Chinese’s experiences. Journal of Trust Research, 6(2), 167–193. https://doi.org/10.1080/21515581.2016.1207543

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chua, R. Y. J., Morris, M. W., & Ingram, P. (2009). Guanxi vs networking: Distinctive configurations of affect- and cognition-based trust in the networks of Chinese vs American managers. Journal of International Business Studies, 40(3), 490–508.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Clugston, M., Howell, J. P., & Dorfman, P. W. (2000). Does cultural socialization predict multiple bases and foci of commitment? Journal of Management, 26(1), 5–30.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Colquitt, J. A., Scott, B. A., & LePine, J. A. (2007). Trust, trustworthiness, and trust propensity: A meta-analytic test of their unique relationships with risk taking and job performance. Journal of Applied Psychology, 92(4), 909–927.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cooke, R. A., & Rousseau, D. M. (1988). Behavioral norms and expectations: A quantitative approach to the assessment of organizational culture. Group & Organization Studies, 13(3), 245–273.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cooke, R. A., & Szumal, J. L. (1993). Measuring normative beliefs and shared behavioral expectations in organizations: The reliability and validity of the Organizational Culture Inventory. Psychological Reports, 72, 1299–1330.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cooke, R. A., & Szumal, J. L. (2000). Using the organizational culture inventory to understand the operating cultures of organizations. In N. M. Ashkanasy, C. Wilderom, M. Peterson, & B. Schneider (Eds.), The handbook of organizational culture and climate (pp. 147–162). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Deutsch, M. (1958). Trust and suspicion. The Journal of Conflict Resolution, 2, 265–279.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Devos, T., Spini, D., & Schwartz, S. H. (2002). Conflicts among human values and trust in institutions. British Journal of Social Psychology, 41, 481–494.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Dickson, M., Kwantes, C. T., & Magomaeva, A. B. (2014). Chapter 15: Societal and organizational culture: Connections and a future Agenda. In B. Schneider & K. Barbera (Eds.), The Oxford handbook of organizational climate and culture (pp. 276–296). New York, NY: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dietz, G. (2011). Going back to the source: Why do people trust each other? Journal of Trust Research, 1(2), 215–222. https://doi.org/10.1080/21515581.2011.603514

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dietz, G., & Den Hartog, D. N. (2006). Measuring trust inside organisations. Personnel Review, 35(5), 557–588.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Doney, P. M., Cannon, J. P., & Mullen, M. R. (1998). Understanding the influence of national culture on the development of trust. Academy of Management Review, 23(3), 601–620.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Erez, M., & Gati, E. (2004). A Dynamic, multi-level model of culture: From the micro level of the individual to the macro level of a global culture. Applied Psychology: An International Review, 53(4), 583–598.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ferrin, D. L., & Gillespie, N. (2010). Trust differences across national-societal cultures: Much to do or much ado about nothing? In M. N. K. Saunders, D. Skinner, G. Dietz, N. Gillespie, & R. J. Lewicki (Eds.), Organizational trust: A cultural perspective (pp. 42–86). Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Fiske, A. P. (1992). The Four Elementary Forms of Sociality: Framework for a Unified Theory of Social Relation. Psychological Review, 99(4), 689–723.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Good, D. (1988). Individuals, interpersonal relations, and trust. In D. G. Gambetta (Ed.), Trust (pp. 131–185). New York, NY: Basil Blackwell.

    Google Scholar 

  • Haglund, K., Belknap, R., Garcia, T. G., Woda, A. A., & O’Hara, J. (2016). Latina adolescents’ perspectives on relationships. Journal of Cultural Diversity, 23(4), 131–138.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hardin, R. (2002). Trust and trustworthiness. New York, NY: Russell Sage Foundation.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jacobson, E., Charters, W. W., Jr., & Lieberman, S. (1951). The use of the role concept in the study of complex organizations. Journal of Social Issues, 7(3), 18–27.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Johns, G. (2001). In praise of context. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 22(1), 31–42.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kramer, R. M. (1999). Trust and distrust in organizations: Emerging perspectives, enduring questions. Annual Review of Psychology, 50, 569–598.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kwantes, C. T. (2019). Societal culture, role relationships, and trust in the workplace. Presented at the 19th congress of the European Association for Work & Organizational Psychology, Turin, Italy.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kwantes, C. T., & Dickson, M. W. (2011). Chapter 28: Organizational culture in a societal context: Lessons from GLOBE and beyond. In N. N. Ashkanasy, C. Wilderom, & M. F. Peterson (Eds.), The handbook of organizational culture and climate (2nd ed., pp. 494–514). Newbury Park, CA: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kwantes, C. T., Idemudia, E. S., & Olasupo, M. O. (2018). Power distance and trustworthiness in organisations: A comparative study of perceptions in two countries. North American Journal of Psychology, 20(2), 341–358.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kwantes, C. T., & Bond, M. H. (2019). Social cynicism and organizational justice in relation to organizational cynicism. Personality and Individual Differences, 151, Article 109391. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2019.04.046

    Google Scholar 

  • Kwantes, C. T., Kanazawa, Y., McMurphy, S., & Watanabe, S. (2019). What makes an employee trustworthy? Perspectives from Canada and Japan. Submitted to EGOS and Organization Studies Workshop 2019, Kyoto, Japan.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kwantes, C. T., McMurphy, S., Kanazawa, Y., & Kuo, B. C. H. (2019). Contextualizing trustworthiness. Presented at Trust Within and Between Organizations, the 10th first international network on trust workshop, St. Gallen, Switzerland.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kwantes, C. T., & Porto, J. (2016). Differential predictors of generalized trust in Brazil and Canada. Presented at the 77th Annual Convention of the Canadian Psychological Association, Victoria, BC, Canada.

    Google Scholar 

  • Leung, K., Bond, M. H., Reimel de Carrasquel, S., Muñoz, C., Hernández, M., Murakami, F., … Singelis, T. M. (2002). Social axioms: The search for universal dimensions of general beliefs about how the world functions. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 33, 286–302.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Levering, R. (1992). Can companies trust their employees? Business and Society Review, 81, 8–12.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lewis, J. D., & Weigert, A. (1985). Trust as a social reality. Social Forces, 63(4), 967–985.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lin, I., & Kwantes, C. T. (2013). A trustworthy supervisor vs. a trustworthy employee: A conceptual analysis of trustworthiness across cultures. Presented at the International Association for Cross-Cultural Psychology Conference, Los Angeles, CA, USA.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lin, I., & Kwantes, C. T. (2014). A cross-cultural examination of trust in the workplace: Conceptualizations of trustworthiness in the US, Canada, Taiwan, and People’s Republic of China. Presented at the 22nd International Congress of the International Association for Cross-Cultural Psychology, Reims, France.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lin, I., Kwantes, C. T., & Ellens, K. R. K. (2013). Cultural differences in group categorization of coworkers. Presented at the International Academy for Intercultural Relations Conference, Reno, NV, US.

    Google Scholar 

  • Linke, L., Saribay, S. A., & Kleisner, K. (2016). Perceived trustworthiness is associated with position in a corporate hierarchy. Personality and Individual Differences, 99, 22–27.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lord, R. G., Brown, D. J., Harvey, J. L., & Hall, R. J. (2001). Contextual constraints on prototype generation and their multilevel consequences for leadership perceptions. The Leadership Quarterly, 12, 311–338.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Luhmann, N. (2017). Trust and Power. Medford, MA: Polity Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Marwell, G., & Hage, J. (1970). The organization of role-relationships: A systematic description. American Sociological Review, 35(5), 884–900. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/2093299

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Matsumoto, D. (2007). Culture, context, and behavior. Journal of Personality, 75(6), 1285–1320.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Mayer, R. C., Davis, J. H., & Schoorman, F. D. (1995). An integrative model of organizational trust. The Academy of Management Review, 20(3), 709.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Michalos, A. C. (1990). The impact of trust on business, international security and the quality of life. Journal of Business Ethics, 9, 619–638.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Misztal, B. (2013). Trust in modern societies. Medford, MA: Polity Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Möllering, G. (2001). The nature of trust: From Georg Simmel to a theory of expectation, interpretation and suspension. Sociology, 35(2), 403–420.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Oyserman, D. (2011). Culture as situated cognition: Cultural mindsets, cultural fluency, and meaning making. European Review of Social Psychology, 22, 164–214.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rotter, J. B. (1971). Generalized expectancies for interpersonal trust. American Psychologist, 26, 443–452.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rotter, J. B. (1980). Interpersonal trust, trustworthiness, and gullibility. American Psychologist, 35, 1–7.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rousseau, D., Sitkin, S., Burt, R., & Camerer, C. (1998). Not so different after all: A cross-discipline view of trust. Academy of Management Review, 23(3), 393–404.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sasaki, M. (2019). Chapter 9: A cross-national study of criteria for judging the trustworthiness of others before a first meeting. In M. Sasaki (Ed.), Trust in Contemporary Society (International Comparative Social Studies, Volume: 42) (pp. 177–209). https://doi.org/10.1163/9789004390430_011. Downloaded from Brill.com 07/29/2019 via free access

  • Schwartz, S. H. (1999). A theory of cultural values and some implications for work. Applied Psychology: An International Review, 48(1), 23–47.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shapiro, S. P. (1987). The social control of impersonal trust. American Journal of Sociology, 93(3), 623–658.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sheppard, B. H., & Sherman, D. M. (1998). The grammars of trust: A model and general implications. Academy of Management Review, 23(3), 422–437.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Simpson, J. A. (2007). Psychological foundations of trust. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 16(5), 264–268.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Singh, T. (2012). A social interactions perspective on trust and its determinants. Journal of Trust Research, 2(2), 107–135.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stonefish, T., Kwantes, C., Ng, P., Percy, A., & Szymczak, M. (2015). A cross-cultural examination of trust by gender roles. Presented at the Midwestern Psychological Association Annual Meeting, Chicago, IL, USA.

    Google Scholar 

  • Talaei, A., Kwantes, C. T., Eggett, J., Jamieson, K., & Najafi, M. (2015). The nature of Trust in Work and Family Contexts: A Qualitative Analysis. Presented at the 2015 annual meeting of the Midwestern Psychological Association, Chicago, IL, USA.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tan, H. H., & Chee, D. (2005). Understanding interpersonal trust in a Confucian-influenced society : An exploratory study. International Journal of Cross-Cultural Management, 5(2), 197–212.

    Google Scholar 

  • Thielmann, I., & Hilbig, B. E. (2015). Trust: An integrative review from a Person–Situation perspective. Review of General Psychology, 19(3), 249–277.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • van’t Wout, M., & Sanfey, A. (2008). Friend or foe: The effect of implicit trustworthiness judgments in social decision-making. Cognition, 108(3), 796–803.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • VonDras, D. D., Pouliot, G. S., Malcore, S. A., & Iwahashi, S. (2008). Effects of culture and age on the perceived exchange of social support resources. The International Journal of Aging & Human Development, 67(1), 63–100.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wasti, S. A., Tan, H. H., & Erdil, S. E. (2010). Antecedents of trust across foci: A comparative study of Turkey and China. Management and Organization Review, 7(2), 279–302.

    Google Scholar 

  • Whitener, E. M., Maznevski, M. L., Hua, W., Saebo, S. R., & Ekelund, B. Z. (2000). Testing the cultural boundaries of a model of trust: Subordinate-manager relationships in China, Norway and the United States. UCLA Asia Institute Downloaded from http://escholarship.org/uc/item/8th9x1fn

  • Wu, Y., Zhang, M., Zhang, C., & Tian, X. (2015). Fairness‐related behaviour modulation by friendship is moderated by American primes in Chinese participants. Asian Journal of Social Psychology, 18(4), 299–310.

    Google Scholar 

  • Yakovleva, M., Reilly, R. R., & Werko, R. (2010). Why do we trust? Moving beyond individual to dyadic perceptions. Journal of Applied Psychology, 95(1), 79–91.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Yuki, M., Maddux, W. W., Brewer, M. B., & Takemura, K. (2005). Cross-cultural differences in relationship- and group-based trust. PSPB, 31(1), 48–62.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Zaheer, A., McEvily, B., & Perrone, V. (1998). Does trust matter? Exploring the effects of interorganizational and interpersonal trust on performance. Organization Science, 9(2), 141–159.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zurcher, L. A. (1968). Particularism and organizational position: A cross-cultural analysis. Journal of Applied Psychology, 52(2), 139–144.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Windsor, Windsor, ON, Canada

    Catherine T. Kwantes & Suzanne McMurphy

Authors
  1. Catherine T. Kwantes
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Suzanne McMurphy
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Suzanne McMurphy .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, University of Windsor, Windsor, ON, Canada

    Catherine T. Kwantes

  2. Department of Psychology, University of Windsor, Windsor, ON, Canada

    Ben C. H. Kuo

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2021 Springer Nature Switzerland AG

About this chapter

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this chapter

Kwantes, C.T., McMurphy, S. (2021). Contextual Influences on Trust and Trustworthiness: An Etic Perspective. In: Kwantes, C.T., Kuo, B.C.H. (eds) Trust and Trustworthiness across Cultures. Springer Series in Emerging Cultural Perspectives in Work, Organizational, and Personnel Studies. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-56718-7_1

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation