Organizational trustworthiness – empirical insights from a Chinese perspective

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the nature of trustworthiness at an organizational level. A comparison of Chinese and US perspectives facilitated the identified insight into the nature of trustworthiness. Design/methodology/approach This paper is an exploratory study of cross-cultural perceptions of trustworthiness at an organizational level. A survey was administered to business school students, faculty members and industrial managers in a major Chinese city. Usable data collected from 398 respondents was analyzed identifying significant factors characterizing organizational trustworthiness. Findings Seven factors were identified that characterize organizational trustworthiness. These factors were significant for both US and Chinese respondents, with procedural fairness considered most important of the identified factors. Originality/value This paper contributes to trustworthiness literature at the organizational level. Prior empirical research is based on data collected from US business school students. This is the first reported study based on a comparison of data collected from Chinese and US participants. Identifying the seven significant factors characterizing organizational trustworthiness has practical value to international employers who work with the Chinese students who will become tomorrow’s Chinese employees.