Institutional trust is a dynamic relationship between an
individual
An individual is that which exists as a distinct entity. Individuality (or self-hood) is the state or quality of being an individual; particularly (in the case of humans) of being a person unique from other people and possessing one's own Maslow ...
and an
institution. It is a form/sub-type of
trust
Trust often refers to:
* Trust (social science), confidence in or dependence on a person or quality
It may also refer to:
Business and law
* Trust law, a body of law under which one person holds property for the benefit of another
* Trust (bus ...
and is distinguished by the potential magnitude of its effect.
The relationship can be analyzed through techniques developed for the analysis of
interpersonal ties
In social network analysis and mathematical sociology, interpersonal ties are defined as information-carrying connections between people. Interpersonal ties, generally, come in three varieties: ''strong'', ''weak'' or ''absent''. Weak social ti ...
. The form of the relationship may be explicit (or implicit) and internal (or external) to an institution in both perception and reality. The disposition of the relationship can be qualified as positive, neutral or negative. The strength of the relationship is quantifiable through a relative percentage from 0% (weak) to 100% (strong) and a degree of separation (for example, 1 degree of separation means the trust relationship is direct, see
Six degrees of separation
Six degrees of separation is the idea that all people are six or fewer social connections away from each other. As a result, a chain of "friend of a friend" statements can be made to connect any two people in a maximum of six steps. It is also k ...
).
The characteristics of the relationship may change over variable periods of time (from instantaneously to slowly).
Institutional trust is often expressed through a
value judgment
A value judgment (or value judgement) is a judgment of the rightness or wrongness of something or someone, or of the usefulness of something or someone, based on a comparison or other relativity. As a generalization, a value judgment can refer to ...
. It has major implications in all fields of study, especially power dynamics, including (but not limited to) forms of
power (social and political)
In social science and politics, power is the social production of an effect that determines the capacities, actions, beliefs, or conduct of actors. Power does not exclusively refer to the threat or use of force ( coercion) by one actor agains ...
.
References
* Hurley, R.F., Gillespie, N., Ferrin, D.F. & Dietz, G. (2013). Designing Trustworthy organizations. Sloan Management Review 54(4): 75-82.
* Kramer, Roderick; Todd L. Pittinsky (2012). Restoring Trust in Organizations and Leaders: Enduring Challenges and Emerging Answers. Oxford University Press. .
* Bachmann, R.; Inkpen, A. C. (2011). "Understanding Institutional-based Trust Building Processes in Inter-organizational Relationships". Organization Studies 32 (2): 281–301. doi:10.1177/0170840610397477. ISSN 0170-8406.
* Mark Saunders (2010). Organizational Trust: A Cultural Perspective. Cambridge University Press. {{ISBN, 978-1-139-48850-1.
* Gillespie, N. & Dietz, G. (2009). Trust repair after organization-level failure. Academy of Management Review 34(1): 127-145.
Social institutions
Sociological terminology