Trust After Just 45 Seconds? An Experimental Vignette Study of How Leader Behavior and Emotional States Influence Immediate Trust in Strangers.

Olav Kjellevold Olsen,Christian Søreide,Sigurd W Hystad,Phillip V Heesch

doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2019.02921

Olav Kjellevold Olsen, Christian Søreide + Show 2 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.02921

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Abstract

Many critical and unexpected situations are handled by people that have never met. In the literature, development of immediate trust has been identified as a prerequisite for such temporary groups and leadership to function well. Limited experimental research has studied what leadership stimulates immediate trust between strangers. The present study investigate how four leadership styles, combining autocratic or democratic leadership behavior with low or high emotional stability, is related to immediate trust in a leader displayed through a 45-s video vignette of a car accident. A sample of 280 adults, randomly assigned to one of four conditions (1, autocratic/stable; 2, autocratic/unstable; 3, democratic/stable; 4, democratic/unstable) rated immediate trust after watching the vignette. The results show that autocratic and emotionally stable leaders were on average rated higher on immediate trust than all other leadership styles, after controlling for generalized trust.

Highlights

Trust can be defined as the willingness or intention to make oneself vulnerable to the actions of others even with limited ability to influence these actions (Mayer et al, 1995, p. 712) – and seen as a significant coordination mechanism in social cooperation and leadership
The main aim of the present study was to learn more about the relationship between immediate trust and leadership during urgent situations, involving time pressure, personal risk, and need for cooperation with unfamiliar people
All hypotheses received support – and a stable emotional state combined with autocratic leadership came out as the best predictor of immediate trust

Summary

Introduction

Trust can be defined as the willingness or intention to make oneself vulnerable to the actions of others even with limited ability to influence these actions (Mayer et al, 1995, p. 712) – and seen as a significant coordination mechanism in social cooperation and leadership. . .people have to wade in on trust rather than wait while experience gradually shows who can be trusted and with what.”. Meyerson et al (1996), recognize that temporary groups, consisting of members that have never met before, still may exhibit behavior that presupposes trust, yet traditional sources of trust like familiarity, shared experience, and reciprocal disclosure are missing. In this way, Leadership and Immediate Trust a group of strangers may successfully manage issues of vulnerability, uncertainty and expectations – and even work as an effective team Meyerson et al (1996), recognize that temporary groups, consisting of members that have never met before, still may exhibit behavior that presupposes trust, yet traditional sources of trust like familiarity, shared experience, and reciprocal disclosure are missing. Meyerson et al (1996, p. 170) see this rapid well-functioning cooperation as a result of swift trust, seen as a rapidly arising state of trust that occurs (or not) in situations where “. . .people have to wade in on trust rather than wait while experience gradually shows who can be trusted and with what.” In this way, Leadership and Immediate Trust a group of strangers may successfully manage issues of vulnerability, uncertainty and expectations – and even work as an effective team

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