Propensity to Trust and Trusting Behaviors in Team Decision-Making

Presenter Information

Elizabeth Brielmaier, Minnesota State University, Mankato

Location

CSU 253/4/5

Start Date

5-4-2010 1:00 PM

End Date

5-4-2010 3:00 PM

Student's Major

Psychology

Student's College

Social and Behavioral Sciences

Mentor's Name

Andi Lassiter

Mentor's Department

Psychology

Mentor's College

Social and Behavioral Sciences

Description

Previous researchers have examined how newly formed team members come to trust one another. Swift trust, as it is known, has been examined in both theoretical and empirical research studies. However, existing research has not addressed how individual’s propensity to trust influences actual trusting behavior in work teams. Using undergraduate participants, data were collected from two-person teams who worked together on a decision-making task. We expected to find that an individual’s propensity to trust resulted in more trusting behaviors in swift trust decision-making situations, and that trust resulted in higher levels of team effectiveness. Results will add to what is known about trust and how it influences teams in the workplace.