Study of Trust as an Organizational Contingency, Part II: Examining Four Dimensions of Trust in ELICIT Experimentation

Abstract

Extending the concept of trust as a contingency of organizational design based on ELICIT experimentation, we seek to explain further why certain configurations of trust and organizational type perform better than others. That is, we are interested in the factors that explain why an Edge organization with high levels of trust performs better than a Hierarchy organization with high levels of trust or an Edge organization with low levels of trust. We examine survey results from a questionnaire with four dimensions of trust -- reliability, openness, ability, and concern -- ministered following the ELICIT computer simulation. The aim is to identify which dimension(s) may be primary or secondary determinants of performance, and recommend how managers and team leaders might better create and sustain trust by focusing on particular dimensions of trust within a manager's given organizational context. This research further establishes trust as a contingency factor in organizations. We discuss the implications for both scholars of trust in organizations and practitioners and managers (particularly in the Defense arena) as a means to address trust issues and improve performance outcomes.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jun 01, 2010
Accession Number
ADA524002

Entities

People

  • Edward H. Powley
  • Joseph Seykora
  • Mark E. Nissen

Organizations

  • Naval Postgraduate School

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • C4I
  • Engineered Resilient Systems
  • Human Systems

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Cognition
  • Command And Control
  • Data Analysis
  • Department Of Defense
  • Descriptive Analytics
  • Hierarchies
  • Information Processing
  • Information Science
  • Knowledge Management
  • Military Acquisition
  • Military Organizations
  • New York
  • Organizational Structure
  • Psychology
  • Reliability
  • Simulations
  • Surveys

Readers

  • Agent-Based Social Robotics and Mobile-Assisted Learning in Virtual Environments.
  • Military History / Militaries and War Studies
  • Organizational Psychology.