Trust in interorganizational collaboration: the role of organizational justice and affect

This article in "Gruppe. Interaktion. Organisation. (GIO)" addresses interpersonal aspects in the collaboration of organizations. Trust promotes the successful collaboration between different organizations. In turn, the experience of justice within organizations can promote interpersonal trust. Colquitt (2001) classifies organizational justice into four dimensions. We assume different dimensions of organizational justice and their manifestations as justice or injustice each have a specific effect on trust between organizations. Additionally, we examine the extent to which emotional experience can explain the relationship between justice and trust. Each assumption is examined in a separate study. Samples consist of non-university members whose organizations cooperate with universities as part of a knowledge transfer project. In study 1, we conducted qualitative interviews (N = 12) to examine our first assumption. Building on this, we used quantitative questionnaires (N = 74) in study 2 to test the second assumption specifically for informational justice and perceived trustworthiness.<br /> The findings from Study 1 confirm differential relationships: Distributive and informational (in)justice were equally relevant in both establishing and losing trust. However, the procedural dimension was more critical for losing trust, while the interpersonal dimension played a greater role in establishing trust. Study 2 reveals that positive emotions (e.g., joy) mediated the relationship between informational justice and perceived trustworthiness. These results point to a variety of implications for justice and trust research. Additionally, the results provide practical insights into building trust in interorganizational collaboration.