Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Creating and Maintaining Trust: How and Why Some Leaders Get It Right

  • Chapter
Conceptions of Leadership

Part of the book series: Jepson Studies in Leadership ((JSL))

  • 1238 Accesses

Abstract

When asked to testify before Congress as to the lessons, if any, Americans could derive from the Iran-Contra fiasco that nearly felled the Reagan administration, then-Secretary of State George Schultz famously asserted that, when it comes to credible and effective leadership, “Trust is the coin of the realm.” In some respects, Schultz’s words are even more poignant and applicable to today’s world, where levels of trust in both government and business leaders have dipped to dismally low levels over the past decade (Center for Public Leadership, 2010; Nye, Zelikow, and King, 1997).

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

Access this chapter

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 89.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 119.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 109.99
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

Institutional subscriptions

Preview

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

References

  • Ancona, D., Malone, T. W., Orlikowski, W. J., & Senge, P. M. (2007). In praise of the incomplete leader. Harvard Business Review, 85, 92–100.

    Google Scholar 

  • Baier, A. (1986). Trust and antitrust. Ethics, 96, 231–260.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Barber, B. (1983). The logic and limits of trust. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bennis, W., Goleman, D., O’Toole, J., & Biederman, P. (2008). Transparency: How leaders create a culture of candor. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bohnet, I. (2007). Why women and men trust others. In B. S. Frey and A. Stutzer (Eds.), Economics and psychology: A promising new cross-disciplinary field (pp. 89–110). Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Boyle, R., & Bonacich, P. (1970). The development of trust and mistrust in mixed-motive games. Sociometry, 33, 123–179.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Braithwaite, V., & Levi, M. (1998). Trust and governance. New York: Russell Sage Foundation.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brewer, M. B. (1981). Ethnocentrism and its role in interpersonal trust. In M. B. Brewer and B. E. Collins (Eds.), Scientific inquiry and the social sciences (pp. 345–359). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brockner, J., & Siegel, P. A. (1996). Understanding the interaction between procedural distributive justice: The role of trust. In R. M. Kramer and T. Tyler (Eds.), Trust in organizations (pp. 390–413). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brockner, J., Siegel, P. A., Daly, J. P., & Tyler, T. (1997). When trust matters: The moderating effects of outcome favorability. Administrative Science Quarterly, 43, 558–583.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Butler, J. (1991). Toward understanding and measuring conditions of trust: Evolution of a conditions of trust inventory. Journal of Management, 17, 643–663.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Catmull, E. (2008). How Pixar fosters collective creativity. Harvard Business Review, 86, 65–72.

    Google Scholar 

  • Center for Public Leadership (2010). National leadership index 2010: A national study of confidence in leadership. Cambridge, MA: Harvard Kennedy School.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chua, R., Ingram, P., & Morris M. W. (2008). From the head and the heart: Locating cognition-based and affect-based trust in manager’s professional networks. Academy of Management Journal, 51, 436–452.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cook, K. S. (2001). Trust in society. New York: Russell Sage Foundation.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cook, K. S., Hardin, R., & Levi, M. (2005). Cooperation without trust. New York: Russell Sage Foundation.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cook, K., Kramer, R. M., Thom, D. H., Stepanikova, Mollborn, S. B., & Cooper, R. M. (2004). Trust and distrust in physician-patient relationships: Antecedents and consequences. In R. M. Kramer and K. S. Cook (Eds.), Trust in Organizations: Dilemmas and Approaches (pp. 65–98) (Russell Sage Foundation Trust Series, Volume VII) New York: Russell Sage Foundation.

    Google Scholar 

  • Covey, S. M. R. (2006). The speed of trust: The one thing that changes everything. New York. Free Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Creed, W. D., & Miles, R. E. (1996). Trust in organizations: A conceptual framework. In R. M. Kramer and T. R. Tyler (Eds.), Trust in organizations (pp. 16–38). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Davis, J., Schoorman, F. D., Mayer, R. C., & Tan, H. (2000). The trusted general manager and business unit performance: Empirical evidence of a competitive advantage. Strategic Management Journal, 21, 543–576.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dawes, R. M. (1994). House of cards. New York: Free Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • DeBruine, L. (2002). Facial resemblance enhances trust. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London, 269, 1307–1312.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dirks, K. T. (2000). Trust in leadership and team performance: Evidence from NCAA basketball. Journal of Applied Psychology, 85, 1004–1012.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dirks, K. T. (2006). Three fundamental questions regarding trust in leaders. In R. Bachmann & A. Zaheer (Eds.), Handbook of trust research (pp. 15–28). Northhampton, MA: Edward Elgar.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dirks, K. T., & Ferrin, D. L. (2002). Trust in leadership: Meta-analytic findings and implications for organizational research. Journal of Applied Psychology, 87, 611–628.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dirks, K. T., & Skarlicki, D. P. (2004). Trust in leaders: Existing research and emerging issues. In R. M. Kramer and K. S. Cook (Eds.), Trust and distrust in organizations: Dilemmas and approaches (pp. 21–40). New York: Russell Sage Foundation.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dyer, J. H., & Chu, W. (2003). The role of trustworthiness in reducing transaction costs and improving performance: Empirical evidence from the United States, Japan, and Korea. Organization Science, 14, 121–142.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Eagly, A. H., & Carli, L. L. (2007). Through the labyrinth: The truth about how women become leaders. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Earley, C. (2002). Redefining interactions across cultures and organizations: Moving forward with cultural intelligence. In B. M. Staw & R. M. Kramer (Eds.), Research in organizational behavior (Vol. 24, pp. 272–299.) New York: Elsevier.

    Google Scholar 

  • Earley, C., & Ang, S. (2003). Cultural intelligence. Stanford, CA: Stanford Business Books.

    Google Scholar 

  • Elsbach, K. D. (2004). Managing images of trustworthiness in organizations. In R. M. Kramer & K. S. Cook (Eds.), Trust and distrust in organizations (pp. 275–292). New York: Russell Sage Foundation.

    Google Scholar 

  • Elsbach, K. D., & Currall, S. C. (2012). Understanding threats to leader trustworthiness: Why it’s better to be called “incompetent” than “immoral.” In R. M. Kramer & T. L. Pittinsky (Eds.), Restoring trust in organizations (pp. 217–240). New York: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Elsbach, K. D., & Elofson, G. (2000). How the packaging of decision explanations affect perceptions of trustworthiness. Academy of Management Journal, 43, 80–89.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fine, G., & Holyfield, L. (1996). Secrecy, trust and dangerous leisure: Generating group cohesion in voluntary organizations. Social Psychology Quarterly, 59, 22–38.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fukuyama, F. (1995). Trust: The social virtues and the creation of prosperity. New York: Free Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gabarro, J. J. (1978). The development of trust and expectations. In A. G. Athos & J. J. Gabarro (Eds.), Interpersonal behavior: Communication and understanding in relationships (pp. 290–303). Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gelfand, M. J., & Brett, J. M. (2004). The Handbook of negotiation and culture. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gillespie, N., Hurley, R., Dietz, G., & Bachman, R. (2012). Restoring institutional trust after the global financial crisis: A systemic approach. In R. M. Kramer & T. L. Pittinsky (Eds.), Restoring trust in organizations (pp. 185–216). New York: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Grant, A. M., & Sumanth, J. J. (2009). Mission possible? The performance of prosocially motivated employees depends on manager trustworthiness. Journal of Applied Psychology, 94, 927–944.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Grovier, T. (1994). An epistemology of trust. International Journal of Moral and Social Studies, 8, 155–174.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hackman, J. R. (2002). Leading teams: Setting the stage for great performances. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hackman, J. R., & Wageman, R. (2005). When and how team leaders matter. In B. M Staw & R. M. Kramer (Eds.), Research in organizational behavior (Vol. 26, pp. 37–75). New York: Elsevier.

    Google Scholar 

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

    Google Scholar 

  • Hardin, R. (2004). Distrust. New York: Russell Sage Foundation.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hardin, R. (2006). Trust. Cambridge, UK: Polity Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hetherington, J. J. (2005). Why trust matters: Declining political trust and the demise of American liberalism. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hogg, M. (2005). Social identity and leadership. In D. M. Messick & R. M. Kramer (Eds.), The psychology of leadership (pp. 53–80). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hollis, M. (1998). Trust within reason. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Kitayama, S., & Cohen, D. (2007). Handbook of cultural psychology. New York: Guilford.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kramer, R. M. (1996). Divergent realities and convergent disappointments in the hierarchic relation: The intuitive auditor at work. In R. M. Kramer & T. R. Tyler (Eds.), Trust in organizations: Frontiers of theory and research (pp. 216–245). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Kramer, R. M. (2006). Social identity and social capital: The collective self at work. International Public Management Journal, 9, 25–45.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kramer, R. M. (2011). Trust and distrust in the leadership process: A review and assessment of theory and evidence. In A. Bryman, D. Collinson, K. Grint, B. Jackson, & M. Uhl-Bien (Eds.), Sage handbook of leadership (pp. 136–150). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kramer, R. M., Brewer, M. B., & Hanna, B. J. (1996). Collective trust and collective action: The decision to trust as a social decision. In R. M. Kramer and T. R. Tyler (Eds.), Trust in organizations (pp. 357–389). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kramer, R. M., & Cook, K. S. (2004). Trust and distrust in organizations. New York: Russell Sage Foundation.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kramer, R. M., & Lewicki, R. J. (2010). Repairing and enhancing trust: Approaches to reducing org a-nizational trust deficits. In J. P. Walsh & A. P. Brief (Eds.), Academy of management annals (Vol. 4, pp. 245–278). New York: Academy of Management and Routledge (Taylor and Francis Group).

    Google Scholar 

  • Kramer, R. M., & Pittinsky, T. (2012). Restoring trust in organizations and leaders: Enduring problems, emerging perspectives. Oxford, England: Oxford University Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Lane, C., & Bachamn, R. (1998). Trust within and between organizations. New York: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lewicki, R. J., & Bunker, B. B. (1995). Trust in relationships: A model of trust development and decline. In B. B. Bunker & J. Z. Rubin (Eds.), Conflict, cooperation and justice. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lewis, J. D., & Weigert, A. (1985). Trust as a social reality. Social Forces, 63, 967–85.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lindskold, S. (1978). Trust development, the GRIT proposal, and the effects of conciliatory acts on conflict and cooperation. Psychological Bulletin, 85, 772–793.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lorsch, J. W., Berlowitz, L., & Zelleke, A. (2005). Restoring trust in American business. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mackey, J., & Sisodia, R. (2013). Conscious capitalism: Liberating the heroic spirit of business. Boston, MA: Harvard Business Review Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • March, J. G. (1994). A primer on decision making. New York: Free Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • March, J. G., & Olsen, J. P. (1989). Democratic governance. New York: Free Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Miller, G. J. (1992). Managerial dilemmas. New York: Cambridge University Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Nye, J. (2008). The powers to lead. New York: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nye, J. S., Zelikow, P. D., & King, D. C. (1997). Why people don’t trust government. Boston, MA: Harvard University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Olson, M. (1965). The logic of collective action. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pillisuk, M., & Skolnick, P. (1968). Inducing trust: A test of the Osgood proposal. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 8, 121–133.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pittinsky, T. (2009). Crossing the divide: Intergroup relations and leadership. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Putnam, R. D. (2000). Bowling alone: The collapse and revival of American community. New York: Simon and Schuster.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Robinson, S. L. (1996). Trust and breach of the psychological contract. Administrative Science Quarterly, 41, 574–99.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Solomon, R. C., & Flores, F. (2001). Building trust in business, politics, relationships, and life. New York: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sztompka, P. (1999). Trust: A sociological theory. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tyler, T. R., & Blader, S. L. (2003). The group-engagement model: Procedural justice, social identity, and cooperative behavior. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 7, 349–361.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tyler, T. R., & Degoey, P. (1996). Trust in organizational authorities: The influence of motive attributions on willingness to accept decisions. In R. M. Kramer & T. R. Tyler (Eds.), Trust in organizations: Frontiers of theory and research (pp. 331–356). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Uslaner, E. M. (2002). The moral foundations of trust. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wageman, R., Nunes, E. A., Burruss, J. A., & Hackman, J. R. (2008). Senior leadership teams: What it takes to make them great. Bostson, MA: Harvard Business School Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Whitener, E. M., Brodt, S. E., Korsgaard, M. A., & Werner, J. M. (2006). Managers as initiators of trust: An exchange relationship for understanding managerial trustworthy behavior. In R. M. Kramer (Ed.), Organizational trust: A reader (pp. 140–169). New York: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zak, P. J. (2008). The neurobiology of trust. Scientific American Mind, June issue, pp. 88–95.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zucker, L. G. (1986). Production of trust: Institutional sources of economic structure. Research in Organizational Behavior, 8, 53–111.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Authors
  1. Roderick M. Kramer
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Kimberly D. Elsbach
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Editor information

George R. Goethals Scott T. Allison Roderick M. Kramer David M. Messick

Copyright information

© 2014 George R. Goethals, Scott T. Allison, Roderick M. Kramer, and David M. Messick

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Kramer, R.M., Elsbach, K.D. (2014). Creating and Maintaining Trust: How and Why Some Leaders Get It Right. In: Goethals, G.R., Allison, S.T., Kramer, R.M., Messick, D.M. (eds) Conceptions of Leadership. Jepson Studies in Leadership. Palgrave Macmillan, New York. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137472038_8

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation