Trust Helps… Except When it Hurts: The Interacting Effects of Trust and Dependence on Information Sharing in Hierarchical Groups

Abstract

This study explored the interacting effects of group-level trust and individual-level dependence on information sharing in a group decision-making context. Contrary to the dominant characterization of trust as a uniformly positive moderator of group performance, information sharing was lowest in groups characterized by high trust and low subordinate dependence. Information sharing was highest in groups that combined high levels of trust and high subordinate dependence. Consequently, decision quality was poorest in the high trust, low dependence condition and decision quality was best in the high trust, high dependence condition. Results suggest that recent emphasis on the value of trust in group decision making should be tempered by a more sophisticated understanding of how dependence dynamics shape trust’s ultimate effects on individual behavior in groups. Implications for future research and practice in organizations are discussed.