An extension of trust theory: Opportunism as a proxy for distrust? An examination of a multivariate relationship within the banking industry

The theoretical contributions of this dissertation, lie in the introduction of opportunism as a proxy for distrust, extending the trust literature. An examination of opportunism in conjunction with trust may lead to an enhanced understanding of human behavior in organizations and open new avenues of organizational research. Also, as noted by Shore, et al., (1990), the focus of an attitude, job versus organization, may play an important role in understanding behavioral intentions as "different intentions have different antecedents". Far less research has been done with regard to behavioral intentions with an organizational focus as opposed to a job focus.;The practical contribution of this dissertation lies in the insights a manager may glean from his or her organization's ability to espouse and act in a trusting manner and not behave opportunistically as perceived by the employees. The impact those behaviors have on an employee's organizational satisfaction, intention to quit the organization, and perception of organizational performance is potentially large depending on the implementation of policies or procedures based on curbing or enhancing desired employee behaviors.;Hypothesis development and testing followed with results suggesting support for hypotheses 1, 5, and 6 while hypotheses 2, 3, and 4 were not supported. Discussion and suggestions with regard to the three supported and the three non-supported hypotheses are examined.;The research conducted in this study is exploratory in that it tests a set of measures that were underutilized in prior research. Consistent with this exploratory design, these measures should be verified by further testing, and the possibility of other, better measures should be examined. The research also evaluated trust and opportunism in conjunction with several other variables. Further exploration of the complex relationships between the constructs in the research design should be undertaken. There is a possibility that poor economic conditions could lead to a suppressor effect on opportunistic behavior as individuals strive to keep their jobs. It is also possible that the poor economy increases opportunistic behavior as individuals attempt to balance their inputs and outputs as suggested by Adams (1965) opening a new stream of research combining trust, distrust and equity theory.