Identifying Personality Traits that Enhance Trust between Organisations - An Experimental Approach

We investigate an experimental representatives' trust game which resembles trust relationships between representatives of organisations. Personality traits of subjects are elicited by a personality questionnaire (Cattell's 16 PF-R) which is well established in personnel psychology. Linking the assessed personality traits with the observed behaviour in the game allows us to derive detailed personality profiles for different behavioural patterns. Personality profiles differ significantly between behavioural types and the personality trait anxiety turns out to be particularly harmful for establishing inter-organisational trust. The proposed method of validating personality questionnaires and the obtained personality profiles promise to be valuable for employers when screening candidates.