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1. How Organizational is Interorganizational Trust?

   https://doi.org/10.5465/amr.2022.0040  

   Schilke, Oliver; Lumineau, Fabrice (December 2023, Academy of Management Review)

   Trust represents a key social mechanism facilitating collaboration in interorganizational relationships. Yet, the concept of interorganizational trust is surrounded by substantial ambiguity, especially as it pertains to the levels of analysis at which it is located. Some scholars maintain that trust is an inherently individual-level phenomenon, whereas others insist that organizations constitute the central sources and referents of trust in interorganizational relationships. Our article addresses this controversy, aiming to reduce conceptual ambiguity and foster cumulative progress. Using a micro-sociological approach, we advance knowledge of the meaning and context-specific relevance of individual- vs. organizational-level trust. Specifically, we apply the notion of organizational actorhood to both the trustor and the trustee in an interorganizational relationship. We then build on micro-institutional and entitativity theory to offer a model of the antecedents of organizational actorhood that identifies a set of contextual conditions explaining the degree to which an organization rather than individuals within it constitutes the focal origin and target of trust. The contingent account we propose here helps bridge disparate traditions of scholarship on interorganizational trust by highlighting that trust can, but need not always, reside to a substantial extent at a supraindividual level of analysis. 

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2. The Modular Architecture of Organizational Trust in the Digital Age

   Schilke, Oliver; Evans, Philip; Aguiar, Marcos (June 2025, Strategic management review)

   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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3. Understanding Organizational Trust of Zoos and Aquariums

   https://doi.org/10.31274/sciencecommunication-181114-16  

   Rank, Shelley J.; Voiklis, John; Gupta, Rupanwita; Fraser, John R.; Flinner, Kate (January 2018, Understanding the Role of Trust and Credibility in Science Communication.)

   null (Ed.)

   Zoos and aquariums play a pivotal role in wildlife conservation, including educating the public. Nevertheless, media depictions of Zoos and aquariums that emphasize animal captivity may erode public trust. We report on the first systematic survey of organizational trust in Zoos and aquariums, contrasting how people perceive the current performance of ZAs against people’s expectations for establishing trust. The largest disparities between perceptions and expectations were for items that assessed the ethical integrity of Zoos and aquariums − how well they maintain and communicate about animal welfare. ZAs can fully earn public trust by adjusting their practices and/or their messaging related to ethical integrity. 

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4. A review of experimental research on organizational trust

   https://doi.org/10.1080/21515581.2023.2214202  

   Schilke, Oliver; Powell, Andy; Schweitzer, Maurice E (July 2023, Journal of Trust Research)
5. Organizational Trust in the Age of the Fourth Industrial Revolution: Shifts in the Form, Production, and Targets of Trust

   https://doi.org/10.1177/10564926221127852  

   Lumineau, Fabrice; Schilke, Oliver; Wang, Wenqian (September 2022, Journal of Management Inquiry)

   In this essay, we argue that the advent of the Fourth Industrial Revolution calls for a reexamination of trust patterns within and across organizations. We identify fundamental changes in terms of (1) what form organizational trust takes, (2) how it is produced, and (3) who needs to be trusted. First, and most broadly, trust is likely to become more impersonal and systemic. Trust between actors is increasingly substituted by trust in a system based on digital technology. Second, in terms of trust production modes, characteristic- and institution-based trust production will gain in importance. Third, despite the move toward system trust, there will nonetheless be a need to trust certain individuals; however, these trustees are no longer the counterparts to the interaction but rather third parties in charge of the technological systems and data. Thus, the focal targets of interpersonal trust are changing. 

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