| The research explored what American and Swiss employees experienced emotionally and cognitively, while communicating and building trust with each other, in international organizations. It focused on their particular definition of trust, meaning, importance and trustworthiness determinants. An interpretative phenomenological approach, coupled with a free association method and a questionnaire on the quality of communication experience were used, in triangulation, to collect the data. If the phenomenon of trust was widely explored by scholars, there is still a need to study, especially qualitatively, how trust develops at the interface of different cultures (intercultural trust), and to explore how it can vary between cultures (cross-cultural trust) according to multiple ways of expression and relationship patterns. The study revealed cultural similarities and divergences in the phenomenon of trust, which could influence its development inter-culturally. Findings showed, in line with academic theories, that intercultural trust at work could be influenced by four inter-related main factors: the acculturation process, the perceived quality of communication experience, the existence of preconceived ideas and specific attitude toward a specific culture, work results and organizational settings. At work, trust appears to be an essential ingredient for employees' cooperation, performance and thriving. Trust appeared as related to the quality of interpersonal encounter and to work achievement. Increasing trust at work requires organizations to facilitate social support, but also to give practical resources for employees to fulfill their prescribed tasks while respecting, at the same time, who they are, how they work, and what they are looking for. |
