Explaining the Limited Effectiveness of Legalistic “Remedies” for Trust/Distrust
Journal Article
Organizations frequently adopt formal rules, contracts, or other legalistic mechanisms when interpersonal trust is lacking. But recent research has shown such legalistic “remedies” for trust-related problems to be ineffective in restoring trust. To explain this apparent ineffectiveness, this paper outlines a theory that distinguishes two dimensions of trust—task-specific reliability and value congruence—and shows how legalistic mechanisms respond only to reliability concerns, while ignoring value-related concerns. Organizational responses to employees with HIV/AIDS are used as a case illustration that supports the theory's major propositions. The paper concludes with an agenda for future research.
Full Text
Duke Authors
Cited Authors
- Sitkin, SB; Roth, NL
Published Date
- August 1993
Published In
Volume / Issue
- 4 / 3
Start / End Page
- 367 - 392
Published By
Electronic International Standard Serial Number (EISSN)
- 1526-5455
International Standard Serial Number (ISSN)
- 1047-7039
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
- 10.1287/orsc.4.3.367
Language
- en