The role of organizational trust in ensuring the efficiency and productivity of the activities of a modern organization (experience of foreign research)

The paper deals with the social phenomenon «organizational trust». The importance of organizational trust as a mechanism for the stable functioning of a modern organization in conditions of the socio cultural and socio-economic environment being under risk is substantiated. The feasibility of a sociological analysis of trust in an organization with the purpose of enhancing its efficiency and productivity is demonstrated. The essence of «organizational trust» is defined as a phenomenon of positive expectations due to which the principal is ready to ascribe good intentions to the trustees and be confident about their words and actions. Benevolence and competence of trustees are demonstrated to be necessary conditions for the formation of a high level of trust in an organization. Based on the analysis of materials from foreign sociological studies, the types of organizational trust are differentiated: generalized, vertical and horizontal, and their specific characteristics are identified. Generalized trust is found to be based on past experience of interactions, this is the expectation of future gains. It is emphasized that vertical and horizontal organizational types of trust have the property of functionality, i.e. they are limited by the professional roles of employees. The evidence base indicates that employee relationships based on trust are one of the conditions for effective labor activity in a modern organization. It has been found that the trust of employees increases their commitment to the organization and job satisfaction, contributes to strengthening the cooperation and teamwork. The expediency of empirical verification of theoretical propositions is substantiated, in particular of the idea that organizational trust has a positive effect on the efficiency and productivity of the modern organization's development: the higher the trust in the organization, the higher its ability to achieve its strategic, tactical, operational goals, ensure labor productivity, produce innovations, maintain high staff motivation and a favorable socio-psychological climate.