Building Trust in Multi-stakeholder Partnerships: Critical Emotional Incidents and Practices of Engagement

Abstract

This paper explores trust-building in multi-stakeholder partnerships. Through an analysis of the development of one multi-stakeholder partnership between a multinational corporation, two levels of government, and local indigenous peoples, we found that trust-building is a dynamic process in which emotionality plays a key role. Critical emotional incidents can unexpectedly punctuate the partnership process, serving as turning points in the development of trust. We also found that the practices used by the partners to navigate these incidents transformed negative emotions into positive ones. We theorize on the role that critical emotional incidents and emotional engagement practices play in multi-stakeholder partnerships.