In Whom We Trust: Group Membership as an Affective Context for Trust Development

Examining the ways in which affect impacts the trust that develops between members of dissimilar groups broadens the study of trust development.People's perceptions of their own interdependence with other groups influence both their beliefs about group members' trustworthiness and their affect for group members.I propose that this affect, in turn, influences interpersonal trust development through multiple paths: cognitive, motivational, and behavioral.Using literature on social information processing, emotion, and intergroup behavior, I elucidate the social and affective context of trust development.Interpersonal trust is an important social resource that can facilitate cooperation and enable coordinated social interactions (Blau, 1964; Coleman, 1988; Zucker, 1986).It reduces the need to monitor others' behavior, formalize procedures, and create completely specified contracts (Macauley, 1963; Powell, 1990).Because trust facilitates informal cooperation and reduces negotiation costs, it is invaluable to organizations that depend on cross-functional teams, interorganizational partnerships, temporary workgroups, and other cooperative structures to coordinate work (e.g., Creed Powell, 1990; Ring Kramer, 1991; Kramer Sitkin & Roth, 1993).Even when there is no tension among groups, people in organizations often interact with individuals from other groups I thankfully acknowledge the suggestions and comments received from