Trust and managerial transition: evidence from three small Asian economies

Abstract

This article explores trust in the managerial context of integrity, performance and benevolence in contemporary Asian societies. Empirical evidence is drawn from three small Asian societies where reform and transitions characterise the current socio‐economic scene. As these countries attempt their recovery process from the severe economic downturn of mid 1997, managers of work organisations are calling on unique Asian ways of responding to global imperatives. Trust may be considered as a unique feature in these countries and it may be considered to be a central element defining the managerial frameworks. Indeed, the study findings allow us to suggest that trust is perceived strongly by the managers in these countries to be not only as the key critical assumptions but also it defined internal and external relationships.