Trust and Trustworthiness across Cultures

Book excerpt: This book investigates trust in seven different cultural contexts, exploring how societal culture can influence our expectations regarding what may be considered trustworthy within a cultural context. Although the definition of trustworthiness is clear, how it is operationalized and applied in various cultural contexts can vary greatly. While certain components of trustworthiness may be universal, what a given society expects from individuals, and the extent to which they fulfill those expectations, plays a role in whether or not those individuals may be trusted. Each chapter discusses literature related to trust and trustworthiness within a specific cultural context, addresses both etic and emic aspects of decisions to trust another, and provides practical implications, with a focus on how trustworthiness can be seen in organizational contexts. With contributions from international scholars and a diverse range of cross-cultural perspectives, this unique volume will be of interest to work psychologists, HR and management professionals, and researchers in organizational behavior.