doi:10.3850/978-981-08-7920-4_S1-C29-cd

ABSTRACT

Researchers have had a long-standing interest in understanding the trusting attributes that influence interpersonal cooperative behavior. In the field of project management, the concepts of interpersonal trust, especially in supervisor-subordinate dyadic settings, trust are not well understood. The purpose of this paper is to fill this gap. This study aims at identifying the prerequisites for dyadic trust. Theories on trust are first reviewed. Trust, trustees’ trustworthiness, and trustors’ trust propensity are discussed. Trustworthiness and propensity to trust are found to be powerful antecedents of trust. Three initiators of trustworthiness are identified. They are ability, integrity, and benevolence. Cognitive processes and affective responses are the major determinants of trust propensity. The two antecedents contribute unique perspectives on trust, while the set of perspectives provides a solid and parsimonious foundation for the empirical study of trust. Ways to examine the relationship of trustworthiness and trust propensity in the construction industry are also discussed.

Keywords: Trust antecedents, Trustworthiness, Propensity to trust.

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