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Across various domains of social life, organizational reliance on personal data and exposure to unanticipated financial hardship have transformed Americans’ life chances and access to opportunities. This article examines an area where they intersect: the hardship caused by breakdowns in information systems. I focus on the case of identity theft, showing how that event—experienced by tens of millions of Americans annually—contributes to economic insecurity. To do so, I first develop a theory of insecurity that links feelings of precariousness to breaches of trust at three levels: interpersonal, organizational, and systemic. Drawing on an original qualitative study of identity theft resolution, I find that most victims worried about their financial lives because they could no longer count on certain people, organizations, or systems. Beneath this commonality, race and class informed feelings of insecurity and associated coping strategies following identity theft. Low-income people and people of color tended to direct suspicion at personal networks and report ending relationships and informal assistance. In contrast, middle- and upper-income and White individuals disproportionately blamed organizations and demanded their protection. These findings—along with the trust-based theory that helped make them visible—have important implications for the study of insecurity, inequality, and trust in the information age.
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This content will become publicly available on June 4, 2026
The Modular Architecture of Organizational Trust in the Digital Age
In this essay, we address the intersection of trust and modularity in organization design. We argue that, while advanced digital technologies favor more modular organizational arrangements, contemporary trust scholarship has largely failed to adopt the network-based approach that is necessary to understand relationships in such settings. Addressing this void, the article introduces a framework that differentiates between and elaborates on within- and between-module trust dynamics. Our argument offers insights into the challenges and opportunities presented by modular designs, particularly regarding the concerns they raise surrounding trust pluralism and organizational coherence. The discussion extends to practical implications for organizational designers, suggesting strategies for navigating trust in modular organizations. We also point to recursive effects of trust on the emergence of modular structures. By advancing theoretical discussions on modularity and trust, our work serves as a foundation for future theoretical and empirical research aimed at refining the strategies organizations can employ to leverage modularity while fostering a trustworthy environment.
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- Award ID(s):
- 1943688
- PAR ID:
- 10597790
- Publisher / Repository:
- Now Publishing
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Strategic management review
- ISSN:
- 2688-2612
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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