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Inter-Organizational Networks: The Cost of Establishing Trust
No full textIn a business climate characterized by increasing integration, alliances, partnerships, and exchanges, cooperation among organizations is a central aspect of management. This is especially true for inter-organizational network relationships, which cannot function effectively without cooperation. Trust is often described as an essential factor in decisions to enter into, or forgo, cooperative relationships. Management theories consistently suggest that organizations engaging in cooperative network relationships must cultivate trust in order to succeed. While sometimes acknowledging that cooperation can and does occur in the absence of trust, these theories use the expected benefits of trust-based approaches to cooperation – particularly reduced transaction costs – as justification for the argument that trust is necessary to achieve efficient cooperative outcomes. Substantial research on antecedent factors leading to organizational trust describe ways that organizations can develop and maintain trust, rebuild trust after betrayal, or compensate for distrust, but relatively little research focuses on the costs organizations incur when pursuing these courses of action. The presence of trust in inter-organizational relationships may enable more efficient exchanges. In multi-party relationships where the parties do not have common interests or where they have insufficient knowledge about each other to enable trust-based decisions to cooperate, organizations need alternative approaches. This dissertation reports the results of a systematic review of research on the sources and magnitude of the costs of trust-based and control-based cooperative strategies and presents a logical model to assess levels of trust in inter-organizational network relationships to and evaluate alternative approaches to achieving cooperative behavior. The evidence resulting from the systematic review supports the proposition that organizations can achieve cooperation using trust-based and control-based strategies. The costs of developing trust sufficient to lead to cooperation are
sometimes higher than the cost to develop contracts or other controls that substitute for trust. In long-term relationships, however, the reduction in transaction costs resulting from trust justifies the initial investment in building trust. The evidence also suggests that where distrust or absence of trust characterizes inter-organizational relationships, trust-based approaches alone are insufficient to produce successful outcomes, making control-based strategies more feasible and more cost-effective than trust-based alternatives.Inter-Organizational Networks: The Cost of Establishing Trust
Stephen D. Gantz
A Dissertation
Submitted to the
Graduate Faculty of
University of Maryland University College
in Partial Fulfillment of
The Requirements for the Degree of
Doctor of Management
2012
Advisory Committee:
Dr. Thomas Mierzwa, Chair
Dr. Denise Breckon
NETWORKS: THE COST OF ESTABLISHING TRUST
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Abstract
In a business climate characterized by increasing integration, alliances, partnerships, and exchanges, cooperation among organizations is a central aspect of management. This is especially true for inter-organizational network relationships, which cannot function effectively without cooperation. Trust is often described as an essential factor in decisions to enter into, or forgo, cooperative relationships. Management theories consistently suggest that organizations engaging in cooperative network relationships must cultivate trust in order to succeed. While sometimes acknowledging that cooperation can and does occur in the absence of trust, these theories use the expected benefits of trust-based approaches to cooperation – particularly reduced transaction costs – as justification for the argument that trust is necessary to achieve efficient cooperative outcomes. Substantial research on antecedent factors leading to organizational trust describe ways that organizations can develop and maintain trust, rebuild trust after betrayal, or compensate for distrust, but relatively little research focuses on the costs organizations incur when pursuing these courses of action. The presence of trust in inter-organizational relationships may enable more efficient exchanges. In multi-party relationships where the parties do not have common interests or where they have insufficient knowledge about each other to enable trust-based decisions to cooperate, organizations need alternative approaches. This dissertation reports the results of a systematic review of research on the sources and magnitude of the costs of trust-based and control-based cooperative strategies and presents a logical model to assess levels of trust in inter-organizational network relationships to and evaluate alternative approaches to achieving cooperative behavior. The evidence resulting from the systematic review supports the proposition that organizations can achieve cooperation using trust-based and control-based strategies. The costs of developing trust sufficient to lead to cooperation are NETWORKS: THE COST OF ESTABLISHING TRUST
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sometimes higher than the cost to develop contracts or other controls that substitute for trust. In long-term relationships, however, the reduction in transaction costs resulting from trust justifies the initial investment in building trust. The evidence also suggests that where distrust or absence of trust characterizes inter-organizational relationships, trust-based approaches alone are insufficient to produce successful outcomes, making control-based strategies more feasible and more cost-effective than trust-based alternatives.
NETWORKS: THE COST OF ESTABLISHING TRUST
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Acknowledgments
I am grateful for the support, instruction, and expert guidance provided by the members of my advisory committee, Dr. Thomas Mierzwa and Dr. Denise Breckon, who worked with me throughout the process of bringing my dissertation to fruition. I would also like to acknowledge the helpful advice and counsel of DM program leadership and staff, particularly Dr. Bryan Booth, Dr. Leslie Dinauer, Dr. John Sherlock, Marina Caminis, and Monica Graham. The high quality of instruction given by DM program faculty also positively influenced all aspects of work on the dissertation, as did the opportunity to learn with valued cohort members, especially Sheila Chickene, Tammy Borkowski, Danny Ebb, Shawn Vaughns, and Raj Krishnan. In addition to Dr. Mierzwa, professors Dr. Dennis Winters, Dr. Claudine SchWeber, and Dr. Subash Bijlani helped instill an understanding and respect for scholarship that will last a lifetime.
The excellent support offered by UMUC Information and Library Services greatly facilitated the research and writing process, including the staff responsible for electronic document delivery as well as astonishingly quick book borrowing through the University System of Maryland library network. I am indebted to UMUC, whose focus on online instruction and innovative educational delivery models and serving the needs of working professionals helped make my pursuit of a doctoral degree possible. In addition, the financial support from the University through its Adjunct Faculty Scholarship Program offered greatly appreciated relief and strengthened my loyalty to the University developed during eight years as an instructor.
Last but certainly not least, the importance of my family’s support cannot be overstated, including the enthusiasm shown by my children Henry, Claire, and Gillian and the forbearance of my wonderful wife Reneé.
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Table of Contents
Abstract ........................................................................................................................................... i
Acknowledgments......................................................................................................................... iii
Table of Contents ........................................................................................................................... iv
List of Tables ............................................................................................................................... viii
List of Figures ............................................................................................................................... ix
Chapter 1: Introduction and Research Problem .............................................................................. 1
Introduction ................................................................................................................................ 1
Problem Statement ...................................................................................................................... 6
Challenges in Researching Trust in Inter-organizational Networks ......................................... 10
Purpose of Study ....................................................................................................................... 13
Scope and Limitations............................................................................................................... 17
Practical Significance of the Topic ........................................................................................... 21
Research Questions ................................................................................................................... 22
Chapter 2: Literature Review ........................................................................................................ 24
Scope and Organizing Scheme ................................................................................................. 24
Theoretical Foundations............................................................................................................ 27
Theories of trust. ................................................................................................................... 27
Sociological perspectives on trust. ........................................................................................ 32
Economic perspectives on trust. ........................................................................................... 34 NETWORKS: THE COST OF ESTABLISHING TRUST
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Opportunism and distrust. ..................................................................................................... 43
Cooperation in inter-organizational relations. ...................................................................... 46
Network exchange. ............................................................................................................... 51
Costs of inter-organizational cooperation. ............................................................................ 54
Key Concepts ............................................................................................................................ 61
Trust. .................................................................................................................................... 61
Trustworthiness. .................................................................................................................... 78
Cooperation. .......................................................................................................................... 84
Distrust. ................................................................................................................................ 91
Networks. .............................................................................................................................. 98
Inter-organizational network structures. ............................................................................. 109
Network relationship constructs. ........................................................................................ 118
Benefits of trust and cooperation. ....................................................................................... 120
Chapter 3: Conceptual Framework ............................................................................................. 124
Types of Cooperative Strategies ............................................................................................. 126
Trust-based strategies.......................................................................................................... 127
Control-based strategies. ..................................................................................................... 129
Trust and control. ................................................................................................................ 130
Conceptual Model ................................................................................................................... 132
Key Concepts and Relationships ............................................................................................ 136
Theoretical Foundation for Applying the Conceptual Framework ......................................... 142
Thesis ..................................................................................................................................... 145
Chapter 4: Research Method ....................................................................................................... 149 NETWORKS: THE COST OF ESTABLISHING TRUST
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Systematic Review Process..................................................................................................... 151
Formulating the problem..................................................................................................... 157
Searching the literature. ...................................................................................................... 160
Gathering information from studies. ................................................................................... 169
Evaluating the quality of studies. ........................................................................................ 171
Analyzing and integrating the outcomes of studies. ........................................................... 175
Interpreting the evidence..................................................................................................... 181
Presenting the results. ......................................................................................................... 184
Research Objectives ................................................................................................................ 186
Chapter 5: Analysis of Findings ................................................................................................. 189
Systematic Review Search Results ......................................................................................... 190
Descriptive Characteristics ..................................................................................................... 193
Cooperative strategies. ........................................................................................................ 199
Themes in the systematic review. ....................................................................................... 204
Mixed-Methods Analysis ........................................................................................................ 211
Quantitative analysis. .......................................................................................................... 212
Qualitative analysis. ............................................................................................................ 216
Convergent analysis. ........................................................................................................... 219
Cooperative strategies. ........................................................................................................ 221
Answers to Research Questions .............................................................................................. 222
Chapter 6: Implications for Management ................................................................................... 224
Conclusions ............................................................................................................................. 224
Implications for Theory .......................................................................................................... 225 NETWORKS: THE COST OF ESTABLISHING TRUST
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Implications for Practice ......................................................................................................... 228
Costs of cooperation. .......................................................................................................... 229
Factors influencing choices of cooperative strategy. .......................................................... 230
Trust and distrust................................................................................................................. 231
Limitations of the Current Research ....................................................................................... 233
Research insufficiency. ....................................................................................................... 234
Reliability and validity. ....................................................................................................... 235
Future Research Directions ..................................................................................................... 237
The influence of distrust on cooperative strategy. .............................................................. 238
Inter-organizational networks and trust. ............................................................................. 240
Summary ................................................................................................................................ 241
References .................................................................................................................................. 243
Appendix A: Data Extraction Template .................................................................................... 302
Appendix B: Coding Scheme..................................................................................................... 305
Appendix C: Systematic Review Summary ............................................................................... 308
Appendix D: Completed Data Extraction Templates ................................................................ 314
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List of Tables
Table 1 Factors Providing Some Basis for Trust, Trustworthiness, and Distrust ...................... 139
Table 2 Keywords and Search Terms for Searching Electronic Literature Sources .................. 165
Table 3 Inclusion and Exclusion Criteria for Research Identified in the Literature Search ...... 168
Table 4 Characteristics and Considerations of Different Analysis Methods ............................. 178
Table 5 Systematic Review Article Counts by Year of Publication and Research Type .......... 191
Table 6 Key Concepts Addressed in Research Included in the Systematic Review ................. 193
Table 7 Cooperative Strategies Identified in Research Included in the Systematic Review ..... 203
Table 8 Themes Occurring in Empirical Studies and Theoretical and Explanatory Research .. 209
Table 9 Variable Correlations Described in Quantitative Studies Included in the Systematic Review ......................................................................................................................... 214
Table 10 Truth Table on Successful Cooperation in Case Studies Included in the Systematic Review ......................................................................................................................... 217
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List of Figures
Figure 1: A logical model to evaluate strategies for achieving cooperation ............................... 14
Figure 2: Recurring structural patterns in inter-organizational networks ................................. 113
Figure 3: Conceptual model of factors influencing organizations’ decisions to cooperate ...... 134
Figure 4: Proposed research approach: a systematic review using a mixed-methods design .. 156
Figure 5: Relationships between cost sources and categories of costs described in research included in the systematic review ............................................................................. 196
Figure 6: Concepts and factors identified in the systematic review relevant to cooperative strategies in inter-organizational networks ............................................................... 199
Figure 7: Application and integration of analytical methods within the systematic review ..... 212
NETWORKS: THE COST OF ESTABLISHING TRUST
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Chapter 1: Introduction and Research Problem
Introduction
Trust is a central element of modern theories of organizational management and sociology (Arrow, 1974; Coleman, 1990; Gambetta 1998a; Hardin, 2001; Kramer & Cook, 2004; March, 1994), and the existence or absence of trust is a key consideration when assessing the nature of relationships between two or more parties, be they individuals, groups, or organizations (Alter & Hage, 1992; Bachmann & Zaheer, 2008; McEvily & Zaheer, 2006; Provan & Sydow, 2008; Ring & Van de Ven, 1994). Various forms of trust have long been considered attributes or contributing factors in sociological theories intended to explain inter-organizational dynamics and individual and organizational behavior, but only in the last 20-30 years has trust been elevated in importance to an organizational management topic of primary interest on its own (Kramer, 2006). As organizations operate in increasingly interconnected environments, their ability to negotiate and manage trust in both
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