Why Don't I Trust You Now? An Attributional Approach to Erosion of Trust

Prior research on trust has focused more on the issue of building trust rather than on understanding when and how trust may erode. Recent evidence that new relationships in organizations are usually characterised by high levels of initial trust only underscores the need for shifting our attention from trust building to trust erosion. This study adopted an attributional approach towards examining the dynamics of erosion of trust in a high-trust relationship. Specifically, the study examined the effects of the trustor?s responsibility attributions for a trust violation and the trustee?s frequency of prior violations on the subsequent erosion of trust in the relationship. Results showed that trust eroded (and distrust increased) more when trustors perceived the trustees as not wanting to fulfill the trust-expectations than when they (trustees) could not do so. Further, trustors were willing to give trustees a maximum of two chances (violations) before trust in the relationship eroded significantly. The results also showed that trustors who were relatively more inclined to forgive were less likely to lose trust in the trustee after a violation, as were younger and less experienced individuals. Implications for future research and practising managers are discussed.