Trust and Member Satisfaction in a Developing Virtual Organization

Previous research suggests that trust is an important antecedent to effective collaboration in virtual settings. The current research utilized survey data obtained from a developing virtual organization to examine the relationship between trust and satisfaction and the extent to which leadership contact factored into trust and satisfaction within the developing virtual organization. Additionally, previous experience with technology was proposed to moderate the relationship between leader contact and trust. Results indicated that contact with multiple leaders was positively related to perceptions of trust within the organization. Further, perceptions of trust were related to satisfaction with relationships within the organization. The proposed moderation was not supported. Limitations and future directions are discussed.