A study of the relationship between trust and the effective communication of information within project teams of large high tech organizations

Abstract

This study investigates the effects trust has on the truthfulness of communications and its effectiveness within a project team. The research focuses specifically on organizational context, the situational forces that exist within this context, and the effects they have on trust within project teams. A review of previous studies of trust as it relates to human and organizational behavior is conducted, a definition of the context and situational forces of large, high tech organizations is provided, and an analysis of the information gathered through surveying various project team members and Project Managers is completed. The results indicate organizational contexts facilitating little trust between project team members and Managers are causing two significant inconsistencies. First, the information project team members claim they are willing to provide versus the information actually being communicated. Second, the information project team members are communicating versus the information Project Managers believe they are receiving. The complications encountered while soliciting project teams exposed a barrier in resolving these contradictions: Project Managers do not acknowledge the existence of such discrepancies let alone value the importance of resolving them. The study concludes by exposing the prevalence of trust issues among project teams as well as providing recommendations for management to successfully increase team trust to improve the functionality of the organizational context to ultimately increase the truthfulness and therefore effectiveness of communication throughout their corporations. Recommendations for future research are provided as well.