Trust Me: Interpersonal Communication Dominance as a Tool for Influencing Interpersonal Trust Between Coworkers

Abstract

Perceptions of trustworthiness are an established antecedent of interpersonal trust. However, the trust and communication literatures provide fewer insights into possible proactive tools for positively influencing trustworthiness. Interpersonal communication dominance is a skill used to influence another individual in an interpersonal relationship. Using social information processing theory, we hypothesize and test a parallel mediation model specifying that the three dimensions of trustworthiness (i.e., perceived ability, perceived benevolence, and perceived integrity) mediate the relationship between interpersonal communication dominance and interpersonal trust. The results show significant indirect effects for interpersonal communication dominance on interpersonal trust through perceived benevolence and perceived integrity but not through perceived ability. Our findings suggest that using interpersonal communication dominance to increase perceptions of benevolence and integrity may be an important communicative tool for positively influencing interpersonal trust.