Restoring Trust in Organizations and Leaders: Enduring Challenges and Emerging Answers

Recent events around the world, especially in the financial sector and with respect to government performance, have severely undermined people's trust in both private organizations and public institutions. In no small measure, these substantial and enduring declines in trust reflect widespread disenchantment with the leadership of such organizations and institutions. In recognition of this pervasive problem, policymakers and scholars alike have argued the need to restore trust in our organizations and their leadership. But precisely how to restore trust is less evident and often unspecified in these exhortations. The present volume addresses this important and timely issue by assessing the state of social science theory and evidence regarding effective trust repair. The volume presents multi-disciplinary perspectives, including insights from social psychology, organizational theory, and behavioral decision theory. The first part of the volume examines some of the reasons why trust and its restoration are problematic from a variety of perspectives. The second part of the volume examines constructive approaches for restoring trust, including psychological and structural perspectives.