Call for Papers
Journal of Trust Research Special Issue
Multilevel Trust
Submission Deadline: March 31, 2017
Special Issue Editors:
C. Ashley Fulmer (National University of Singapore)
Kurt T. Dirks (Washington University in St. Louis)
Trust-whether it is between individuals, within teams, or between organizations-is embedded in a multilevel system where influences from the system and member interactions jointly affect trust at any given level. Yet research has largely focused on a single level of analysis in studying trust and its antecedents and consequences. Research at different levels of analysis, such as on interpersonal trust and on interorganizational trust, has developed independently with little cross-fertilization. Recent work has identified both similarities and differences in trust across levels (Fulmer & Gelfand, 2012) and highlighted the opportunities afforded by considering trust at different levels (e.g., Currall & Inkpen, 2002; DeJong & Dirks, 2012; Schilke & Cook, 2013; Sydow, 2006; Vanneste, 2016). By taking levels effects into account, researchers can gain more nuanced and realistic knowledge on trust and potentially provide more precise insights for practitioners. This special issue aims to extend the current work by inviting papers that focus on the intersection of trust and levels of analysis theory and research (e.g., Kozlowski & Klein, 2000), looking at the emergence and embeddedness of trust within social systems. The levels can include cultures, societies, communities, institutions, networks and organizations, teams and groups, and individuals. Examples of research topics or questions include the following:
- How are the conceptualizations of trust across levels and their theoretical perspectives similar or different?
- How does trust, originated from interpersonal interactions, form at higher levels such as within teams and organizations, and between organizations?
- How is trust institutionalized at a higher level, and how are lower level entities socialized into trusting?
- In cross-level and multilevel models where the outcomes and determinants of trust are at different levels, what are the top-down and bottom-up influences of trust and influences on trust?
- How trust at one level of analysis affects and is affected by trust at other levels of analysis?
- What are the dynamics of trust in cross-level and multilevel models (e.g., trust emergence and dispersion within systems) over time?
- What are the methodological recommendations for studying trust vis-à-vis levels of analysis, such as within-individual variation, dispersion in units, and dynamic emergence of trust?
Both empirical and theoretical works are welcome. Given the challenges of multilevel theory and research, contributions with new approaches are encouraged, including interdisciplinary theories and innovative methodologies.
Submissions are due on March 31, 2017. Authors should submit their manuscripts at https://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/rjtr and indicate that the submissions are for "Multilevel Trust" in the special issue option. For author guidelines and further information on the Journal of Trust Research, visit the website at http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/rjtr20. You may also contact the special issue's editors, Ashley Fulmer (afulmer@nus.edu.sg) and Kurt Dirks (dirks@wustle.edu), with questions or to discuss your ideas.
Manuscripts will be subject to the standard double-blind peer-review process. Accepted papers will be published in a Journal of Trust Research Special Issue in early 2018.
References:
Currall, S. C., & Inkpen, A. C. (2002). A multilevel approach to trust in joint ventures. Journal of International Business Studies, 33, 479-495.
De Jong, B., & Dirks, K. T. (2012). Beyond shared perceptions of trust and monitoring in teams: Implications of asymmetry and dissensus. Journal of Applied Psychology, 97, 391- 406.
Fulmer, C. A., & Gelfand, M. J. (2012). At what level (and in whom) we trust: Trust across multiple organizational levels. Journal of Management, 38, 1167-1230.
Kozlowski, S. W. J., & Klein, K. J. (2000). A multilevel approach to theory and research in organizations: Contextual, temporal, and emergent processes. In K. J. Klein & S. W. J. Kozlowski (Eds.), Multilevel theory, research and methods in organizations: Foundations, extensions, and new directions (pp. 3-90). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Schilke, O., & Cook, K. S. (2013). A cross-level process theory of trust development in interorganizational relationships. Strategic Organization, 11, 281-303.
Sydow, J. (2006). How can systems trust systems? A structuration perspective on trust-building in interorganizational relations. In R. Bachmann & A. Zaheer (Eds.), Handbook of trust research (pp. 377–396). Cheltenham: Edward Elgar.
Vanneste, B. S. (2016). From interpersonal to interorganisational trust: The role of indirect reciprocity. Journal of Trust Research, 6, 7-36.