Trust and power as means of co-ordinating the internal relations of the organization : a conceptual framework

Abstract This paper provides a conceptual framework for analysing trust and power in the internal relationships of the organization. It adopts a neo-institutionalist view focussing on the structural inventory and the social embeddedness of the organization in the process of developing trust between its individual members. It is suggested that, based on specific combinations of factors rooted in the internal social structure as well as the external socio-economic environment of the organization, two divergent trust/power control patterns emerge as ideal-typical forms of coordinating expectations and interaction among organizational actors.