Cultural factors in trust formation in organizations: a sociological analysis

The relevance of the study is due to the high competition among organizations, which forces managers to look for new methods of improving the performance. A high level of organizational trust is one of the most significant factors in efficient operation of companies. This explains interest in research on various factors in the formation of trust in organizations. To date, there have been published quite many works devoted to organizational and individual conditions ensuring the formation of organizational trust. Less attention is paid by researchers to cultural prerequisites such as generalized trust, social control, and the values of collectivism and individualism in society. On the basis of a theoretical review, we describe the mechanisms of trust formation through these cultural prerequisites. It was revealed that organizational trust is related to the perception of behavior by others (generalized trust), but is not identical to trust at the behavioral level. Employees can demonstrate a high level of generalized trust, but at the same time show a willingness to be vulnerable to others in joint activities. It was also found that social control in society negatively affects organizational trust as it violates informal ties and does not allow the formation of informal norms and rules that are important for trust. Finally, it was found that organizational trust is positively associated with individualism and with a focus on collective activity (team work). The trust of collectivists is limited to people with close social ties, while the trust of individualists goes beyond these relationships. Thus, the behavioral strategy that acquires a special role is building up a positive reputation of a «good» person, which contributes to the well-being of an individual since it provides him/her with help and support from others. The formulated conclusions indicate the importance of cultural prerequisites in the formation of trust in an organization, which should be taken into account in empirical studies.