Brokered Distances: Trust in Brokers within and Between Organizations

Abstract

Organizational brokers, such as producers, diplomats, and middle managers, connect people within and across organizations. Trust in brokers promotes their effectiveness in connecting unfamiliar counterparts and transferring information between disconnected parties. Often, however, the very conditions that create the need for brokering, such as the existence of structural holes, undermine trust in brokers. We introduce an organizing framework to explain how fundamental features of brokering processes shape the perceived trustworthiness of brokers. Specifically, we describe how individuals make inferences about brokers’ ability, benevolence, and integrity based on the horizontal and vertical distances they bridge, the extent to which their brokering involves in-role versus extra-role behavior, and the extent to which they facilitate indirect versus direct exchanges between counterparts. Our model links situational features of brokering processes with established antecedents of interpersonal trust, thereby identifying challenges and opportunities for brokers and organizations.

Plain language summary title

Trust in Brokers

Plain language summary

Brokers play an important role in bridging distances in organizations: They connect unfamiliar or reluctant counterparts and transfer valuable information between disconnected parties who are unable or unwilling to communicate directly. Trust in brokers increases their ability to facilitate information sharing, coordination, and collaboration within and between organizations. We develop a theoretical model that explains when and why individuals trust brokers more versus less, and how brokers can earn others’ trust. We propose that individuals rely on contextual cues to infer brokers' ability, benevolence, and integrity, three established antecedents of perceived trustworthiness. For example, we theorize that brokers who undertake the challenging task of bridging larger distances are seen as higher in ability compared to brokers who undertake the less challenging task of bridging smaller distances. Identifying the conditions under which individuals trust organizational brokers more versus less helps explain when and why brokers are likely to be more effective versus less effective as cooperation catalysts in organizations.