What's trust got to do with it? How remote workers socially construct their understandings of trust

Wilkinson, Jennifer; Knights, David

Abstract

This paper is concerned with the problem of trust as it relates to remote working from home. It explores empirically and analytically how trust is socially constructed and made to matter as these employees manage their daily routines at home. Its problematic is to explore how trust is understood, developed and managed through predominantly remote everyday interpersonal relationships, organisation goals and routines, and the general day-to-day activities of working remotely from the organization that employs workers.
In its present form, the paper is structured as follows: it provides a rationale and discussion of the key literature and then a brief outline of the case study methodology, after which it provides a discussion of the findings, which because of spatial limits are presented only in summary form rather than as data. We reflect upon the theoretical implications of these findings for current debates about the nature of trust in remote working contexts. We also consider the implications for organisations seeking to engender trust within a remote working structure.

Citation

Wilkinson, J., & Knights, D. (2015, July). What's trust got to do with it? How remote workers socially construct their understandings of trust. Paper presented at EGOS 2015

• Presentation Conference Type: Conference Paper (unpublished)
• Conference Name: EGOS 2015
• Start Date: Jul 2, 2015
• End Date: Jul 4, 2015
• Acceptance Date: Jan 1, 2015
• Publication Date: Jan 1, 2015
• Peer Reviewed: Not Peer Reviewed
• Keywords: trust, remote workers, flexible working
• Additional Information: Title of Conference or Conference Proceedings : EGOS