Why the epistemologies of trust researchers matter

Abstract

In this thought piece we take stock of and evaluate the nature of knowledge production in the field of trust research by examining the epistemologies of 167 leading trust scholars, who responded to a short survey. Following a brief review of major epistemological perspectives, we discuss the nature of the prevalent views and their geographical distribution within our field. We call on trust researchers to engage in epistemological reflection, develop their own awareness of alternative epistemologies, and ensure their work draws on and cites relevant research contrary to their preferred epistemological approach. To support this we ask editors of relevant journals to foster pluralism in trust research, publishing work from a range of epistemologies.

Keywords:

• the trust field
• epistemology
• pluralism
• leading trust researchers
• trust knowledge
• researcher reflexivity

Acknowledgements

We are grateful to Don Ferrin, Peter Ping Li and Guido Möllering for their valuable comments and insight on an earlier draft.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes on contributors

Neve Isaeva is a Postgraduate Doctoral Researcher the University of Surrey's Business School. Her research interests include trust, culture, business strategy, and research philosophy. Her doctoral research examines the influences of national cultures on trust and distrust in organisations.

Reinhard Bachmann is Professor of International Management and Director of the Centre for Trust Research (CTR) at SOAS, University of London. He has published in leading journals, including Organization Studies, British Journal of Sociology, Journal of Managerial Psychology, Cambridge Journal of Economics, and the Journal of Trust Research. He is co-editor of various books, among which are the Handbook of Trust Research, the Landmark Papers on Trust. Two Volumes, and the Handbook of Advances in Trust Research (all with Akbar Zaheer, Edward Elgar 2006, 2008 and 2013), and two Special Issues of Organization Studies on trust (2001 and 2015). From 2011–2014 he was Deputy Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Trust Research.

Alexandra Bristow is Lecturer in Organisational Behaviour at Surrey Business School, University of Surrey. She gained her PhD from Lancaster University in 2008. Her thesis examined the production of objectivity in the work of editors of leading management and organisation studies journals, and is joint winner of the Academy of Management Best Dissertation Award 2011 (Critical Management Studies Division). Alex's research interests include research philosophy, knowledge production and consumption, academic work, power, resistance, change and technology. Her work has appeared in a number of international outlets, including Scandinavian Journal of Management and Culture and Organisation. She is a co-author of the Research Philosophies and Approaches chapter in the seventh edition of the Saunders et al. (2016) Research Methods for Business Students textbook.

Mark N. K. Saunders is Professor of Business Research Methods at Surrey Business School, University of Surrey. He gained his PhD from Lancaster University in 1986. Mark's research interests include research methods, in particular methods for understanding organisational relationships and sampling; human resource management aspects of the management of change, in particular trust within organisations; and small and medium sized enterprises. His research has been published in journals such as Human Relations, Journal of Personnel Psychology, Journal of Small Business Management, Management Learning and Social Science and Medicine. He has co-authored and co-edited a range of books including Research Methods for Business Students (currently in its seventh edition) and the Handbook of Research Methods on Trust.