Trust‑Communication Dyad in Inter‑Personal Workplace Relationships Dynamics of Trust Deterioration and Breach

Abstract

Abstract: Trust has become an important intangible asset in organizations as a foundation for cooperation in workplace relationships. The paper discusses and examines development of trust in relation to communication within work relationships. More specifically, the dynamics of trust deterioration and trust breach is studied empirically. The paper examines the interplay between communication and trust and how building, violation, breaches and restoration of trust develop in inter‑personal workplace relationships. The aim of the paper is to provide new knowledge and insights of the dynamics between communication and trust and make practical implications to leadership and HRM for human capital development. By presenting the empirical findings from a qualitative case study with other complementing data the paper also aims to shed more light on how poor communication, in particular, affects trust development between actors involved. The paper advocates the importance of developing trust and communication for intangible intellectual asset in workplaces and their management. Originality of the paper is based on the idea of exploring the relation between trust and communication, specifically in the situation of trust violation and breach. The paper provides a still under researched issue of intangible assets, since relational resources such as trust and communication have not been widely examined in the context of trust breach, in specific. In the theoretical discussion, trust and communication are seen interwoven in interpersonal work relationships. Trust is looked as intangible asset and skill and communication a means and antecedent for trust. The findings show that poor communication plays an important role in deterioration and breaches of trust. Distrust may permeate widely within the organization and beyond the original parties involved. If space is left to the low trust climate to develop the consequences may be unfavorable, harmful and even damaging to the organization. Trust violation and breaches seem to be connected with workplace bullying wit