Internet & Intranet Security Management - Risks & Solutions

manner.
At the team level, trust needs to be part of modern self-managing teams. Trust is generated by putting
teams through exercises to build awareness of common responsibilities and fostering the skills
needed for self-governance. A good example is an audit team that works together in applying
professional audit techniques when examining the client's financial accounts. Each team member has
an important role to play in establishing the audit opinion on various systems and subsystems they
are responsible for. In forming the overall audit opinion the team trust that the individual members
have carried out their duties in a competent manner.
At the firm level, management should "begin the process of activating dormant preferences for
cooperation" (Creed and Miles, 1996, p. 33). This means that organisations view employment
relationships as social as well as economic exchanges. Modern 'virtual' organisations operate on this
principle and, as outlined in an earlier section, Handy (1995) suggested that their vision and mission
statements emphasise the need for learning, bonding and leadership to enhance trust.
At the network level, trust has been recognised as a major issue in building supplier relations. Creed
and Miles (1996) discussed the trust that exists between Motorola and its suppliers. Motorola is in a
strategic partnership with small but highly competent firms that develop state-of-the-art equipment.
Because these firms do not always have the cash to acquire expensive new manufacturing facilities,
Motorola extends their purchase orders, which can be used by the firms as collateral to obtain the
necessary capital. Thus Motorola takes the risk that suppliers will ultimately be able to deliver even
after they have given them the funds.
Trust in Context
As shown in an earlier section, the antecedents of trust (ability, integrity, etc.) are strongly affected
by the situational context. More specifically, specific consequences of trust are determined by factors
such as the stakes involved, the balance of power in the relationship, the perception of the level of
risk, and the alternatives available to the trustor (Mayer et al, 1995). The following is an analysis of
trust in various contextual situations that take these factors into account.
Individuals
According to Kipnis (1996), the following principles apply to trust at the individual level:
• Trust levels are the lowest in work settings in which diversity (gender, culture, and race) are
highest.