Activating trust: the redefinition of roles and relationships in an international construction project

Abstract

This paper deals with trust processes in interorganizational relationships, specifically the ambiguous link between trust and predictability. Using an empirical case study, the paper focuses on when actors, participating in an international construction project, begin working according to a new and unfamiliar contract. The paper suggests that trust may be activated in different ways. This has consequences for its link to predictability and how trust relates to various forms of routines and learning.