Scholars generally agree that highly effective organizations require the cultivation of personal relationships that are high in trust. However, although most conceptualizations of relational trust stress the roles of intention and choice, few explain how these are socially constructed in discrete interactions. To this end, the authors introduce the concept of consideration. Consideration entails a mode of interaction in which (a) a resource is bestowed to a recipient, (b) under a context of choice, (c) involving little sacrifice on the part of the giver, and (d) implying that the recipient’s situation is present in the giver’s thoughts and feelings. Consideration was observed to be central to trust formation and maintenance in a large defense company. Collegial relationships high in trust are characterized by the consistent application of consideration where there are perceived opportunities. These findings have useful implications for management, network theory, social capital, economic sociology, and friendship in the workplace.
Aitkenhead, M., & Dordoy, J. (1985). What the subjects had to say. British Journal of Social Psychology, 24, 293-305.
2.
Barber, B. (1983). The logic and limits of trust. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press.
3.
Barley, S. R. (1996). Technicians in the workplace: Ethnographic evidence for bringing work into organization studies. Administrative Science Quarterly, 41, 404-441.
4.
Berger, P. L., & Luckmann, T. (1966). The social construction of reality. New York: Anchor, Doubleday.
5.
Blau, P. M. (1964). Exchange and power in social life. New York: John Wiley.
6.
Bourdieu, P. (1986). The forms of capital. In J. G. Richardson (Ed.), Handbook of theory and research for the sociology of education (pp. 241-258). New York: Greenwood.
7.
Clark, R. E., & Halford, L. (1980). Reducing uncertainty and building trust: The special case of auctions. In S. Fiddle (Ed.), Uncertainty: Behavioral and social dimensions (pp. 305-322). New York: Praeger.
8.
Coleman, J. S. (1988). Social capital in the creation of human capital. American Journal of Sociology, 94, 95-120.
9.
Coleman, J. S. (1990). Foundations of social theory. Cambridge, MA: Belknap.
10.
Cooley, C. H. (1994). Looking-glass self. In P. Kollock & J. O’Brien (Eds.), The production of reality (pp. 266-268). Thousand Oaks, CA: Pine Forge Press.
11.
Doney, P. M., Cannon, J. P., & Mullen, M. R. (1998). Understanding the influence of national culture on the development of trust. Academy of Management Review, 23, 601-620.
12.
Dooley, R. S., & Fryxell, G. E. (1999). Attaining decision quality and commitment from dissent: The moderating effects of loyalty and competence in strategic decision-making teams. Academy of Management Journal, 42, 372-388.
13.
Eisenstadt, S. N., & Roniger, L. (1984). Patrons, clients and friends: Interpersonal relations and the structure of trust in society. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.
14.
Elsbach, K. D., & Elofson, G. (2000). How the packaging of decision explanations affects the perceptions of trustworthiness. Academy of Management Journal, 43, 80-89.
15.
Fine, G. A. (1986). Friendship in the workplace. In V. J. Derlega & B. A. Winstead (Eds.), Friendship and social interaction (pp. 185-206). New York: Springer-Verlag.
16.
Friedson, E. (1976). The division of labor as social interaction. Social Problems, 23, 304-313.
17.
Fukuyama, F. (1995). Trust: Social virtues and the creation of prosperity. London: Hamish Hamilton.
18.
Gabarro, J. J. (1987). The development of working relationships. In J. W. Lorsch (Ed.), Handbook of organizational behavior (pp. 172-189). Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall.
19.
Giddens, A. (1991). Modernity and self-identity. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press.
20.
Goffman, E. (1961). Asylums. New York: Anchor, Doubleday.
21.
Goffman, E. (1971). Relations in public. New York: Basic Books.
22.
Granovetter, M. (1985). Economic actions and social structure: A problem of embeddedness. American Journal of Sociology, 91, 481-510.
23.
Holmes, J. G., & Rempel, J. K. (1989). Trust in close relationships. In C. Hendrick (Ed.), Close relationships (pp. 187-220). Newbury Park, CA: Sage.
24.
Irwin, J. (1977). Scenes. Beverly Hills, CA: Sage.
25.
Jacobsen, C. (1983). What it means to be considerate: Differences in normative expectations and their implications. Israeli Social Science Research, 1, 24-33.
26.
Jacobsen, C. (1988). Expecting consideration: Further insights. Israeli Social Science Research, 6, 83-86.
27.
Kalleberg, A. L. (1989). Linking macro and micro levels: Bringing the workers back into the sociology of work. Social Forces, 67, 582-592.
28.
Kramer, R. M., & Tyler, T. R. (1996). Trust in organizations: Frontiers of theory and research. Thousands Oaks, CA: Sage.
29.
Kurth, S. B. (1970). Friendships and friendly relations. In G. J. McCall, M. M. McCall, N. K. Denzin, G. D. Suttles, & S. B. Kurth (Eds.), Social relationships (pp. 136-170). Hawthorne, NY: Aldine.
30.
Lasch, C. (1977). Haven in a heartless world. New York: Basic Books.
31.
Leifer, E. M. (1991). Actors as observers: A theory of skill in social relationship. New York: Garland.
32.
Luhmann, N. (1979). Trust and power. New York: John Wiley.
33.
Macauley, S. (1963). Non-contractual relations in business: A preliminary study. American Sociological Review, 28, 54-66.
34.
Maines, D. R. (1989). Further dialectics: Strangers, friends, and historical transformations. Communication Yearbook, 12, 190-202.
35.
March, J. G. (1972). Model bias in social action. Review of Educational Research, 42, 413-429.
36.
Marks, S. R. (1994). Intimacy in the public realm: The case of co-workers. Social Forces, 72, 843-858.
37.
Mauss, M. (1954). The gift (I. Cunnison, Trans.). London: Cohen and West.
38.
Mayer, R. C., Davis, J. H., & Schoorman, F. D. (1995). An integrative model of organizational trust. Academy of Management Review, 20, 709-734.
39.
McAllister, D. J. (1995). Affect- and cognition-based trust as foundations for interpersonal cooperation in organizations. Academy of Management Journal, 38, 24-59.
40.
McKnight, D. H., Cummings, L. L., & Chervany, N. L. (1998). Initial trust formation in new organizational relationships. Academy of Management Review, 23, 473-490.
41.
Nahapiet, J., & Ghoshal, S. (1998). Social capital, intellectual capital, and the organizational advantage. Academy of Management Review, 23, 242-266.
42.
Oldenburg, R. (1989). The great good place. New York: Paragon.
43.
Paine, R. (1969). In search of friendship: An exploratory analysis in “middle-class” culture. Man, 4, 505-524.
44.
Peck, M. J., & Scherer, F. M. (1962). The weapons acquisition process: An economic analysis. Boston: Harvard University, Division of Research, Graduate Business School of Business Administration.
45.
Perrow, C. (1986). Complex organizations: A critical essay (3rd ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill.
46.
Polanyi, K. (1944). The great transformation. New York: Holt, Rinehart.
47.
Powell, W. W. (1990). Neither market nor hierarchy: Network forms of organization. In B. M. Staw & L. L. Cummings (Eds.), Research in organizational behavior (Vol. 12, pp. 295-336). Greenwich, CT: JAI.
48.
Ring, P. S., & Van de Ven, A. H. (1994). Developmental processes of cooperative interorganizational relationships. Academy of Management Review, 19, 90-118.
49.
Rosen, L. (Ed.). (1995). Other intentions: Cultural contexts and the attribution of inner states. Santa Fe, NM: School of American Research Press.
50.
Rousseau, D. M., Sitkin, S. B., Burt, R. S., & Camerer, C. (1998). Not so different after all: A cross-discipline view of trust. Academy of Management Review, 23, 393-404.
51.
Schwartz, S. H. (1968). Awareness of consequences and the influence of moral norms on interpersonal behavior. Sociometry, 31, 355-369.
52.
Shapiro, D., Sheppard, B. H., & Cheraskin, L. (1992). Business on a handshake. Negotiation Journal, 8, 365-377.
53.
Shapiro, S. P. (1987). The social control of impersonal trust. American Journal of Sociology, 93, 623-658.
54.
Simpson, I. H. (1989). The sociology of work: Where have the workers gone?Social Forces, 67, 563-581.
55.
Sitkin, S. B., & Roth, N. L. (1993). Explaining the limited effectiveness of legalistic ‘reme-dies’ for trust/distrust. Organizational Science, 4, 367-392.
56.
Spradley, J. P. (1979). The ethnographic interview. Fort Worth, TX: Harcourt Brace Javonovich.
57.
Strauss, A. (1985). Work and the division of labor. Sociological Quarterly, 26, 1-19.
58.
Strauss, A., & Corbin, J. (1990). Basics of qualitative research: Grounded theory procedures and techniques. Newbury Park, CA: Sage.
59.
Suttles, G. D. (1970). Friendship as a social institution. In G. J. McCall, M. M. McCall, N. K. Denzin, G. D. Suttles, & S. B. Kurth (Eds.), Social relationships (pp. 95-135). Hawthorne, NY: Aldine.
60.
Thompson, J. D. (1967). Organizations in action. New York: McGraw-Hill.
61.
Vecchio, R. P., & Sussmann, M. (1989). Preferences for forms of supervisory social influence. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 10, 135-143.
62.
Weick, K. (1979). The social psychology of organizing (2nd ed.). Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley.
63.
Weick, K. (1995). Sensemaking in organizations. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
64.
Williamson, O. E. (1985). The economic institutions of capitalism. New York: Free Press.
65.
Williamson, O. E. (1991). Comparative economic organization: The analysis of discrete structural alternatives. Administrative Science Quarterly, 36, 269-296.
66.
Winstead, B. A., Derlega, V. J., & Montgomery, M. J. (1995). The quality of friendship at work and job satisfaction. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 12, 199-215.
67.
Wright, P. H. (1978). Toward a theory of friendship based on a conception of self. Human Communications Research, 4, 196-207.
68.
Zagare, F. (1984). Game theory: Concepts and applications. Beverly Hills, CA: Sage.
69.
Zucker, L. G. (1986). Production of trust: Institutional sources of economic structures, 1840-1920. In B. M. Staw & L. L. Cummings (Eds.), Research in organizational behavior (Vol. 8, pp. 53-111). Greenwich, CT: JAI.
