Dominika Latusek

Trust in Transitions

In this article we examine the link between relational trust and general trust in the context of large‐scale social and economic transformations such as those that have occurred in Poland and Russia. We argue that trust plays an important role in interpersonal relationships, but in more impersonal dealings, as in economic life, reliable and impartial institutions that create binding rules and ensure their enforcement are more important. These provide a stable framework for exchange and make it safe for people to take risks involving others they do not know directly. Relational trust, however, may be critical in situations in which institutions are weak or corrupt. And, even if economic relationships are constrained by carefully devised contracts, there remains residual uncertainty that can be resolved only by relying on trust.. If networks involving trust relationships are the dominant means for engaging in exchange, however, exchange is limited to those whom one knows personally or is linked to through close ties, and opportunities for broader exchange are constrained, which may retard the transition to a more open economy.

Trust and technology in a ubiquitous modern environment : theoretical and methodological perspectives

Trust and Technology in a Ubiquitous Modern Environment: Theoretical and Methodological Perspectives provides a variety of theoretical perspectives on the topics of trust and technology, as well as some empirical investigations into the trust-building, trust-maintenance, and trust-destroying practices in the context of technology. It presents research positioned at the intersection of the issues of trust within and between individuals, and organizations, and technology under various guises, for example, high-tech work environments, computer-mediated communication, and the Internet as a business environment.

Exploring managerial talk through metaphor: An opportunity to bridge rigour and relevance?

In this article, we elucidate that exploring managerial talk through the lens of metaphor might offer an opportunity to bridge the often acclaimed gap between rigour and relevance in management research and education. Building on an interpretative research approach and a qualitative field study among managers from the Netherlands, Poland and the United States, we reveal that managers view their day-to-day interactions in relationships with suppliers and clients as if they perform acts, play games and fight battles. These findings corroborate extant research, but they also show that combining (a) the use of metaphor as an analytical tool with (b) a focus on managers’ perceptions of their own and others’ micro-level behaviours offers substantial potential for synthesising theory with practice. More specifically, we argue that the layered nature of metaphors – on a primary level helping us imbue meaning to raw observations, and on a theoretical level drawing our attention to potentially interesting constructs – propels confrontation and symbiosis between research and practice. Simultaneously, a focus on micro-level behaviours enhances recognisability for practitioners, while facilitating the emergence of fine-mazed patterns underlying emerging constructs on a theoretical level.

Trust-building in international business ventures

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate collaboration and coordination practices in the organisation whose members come from two countries that differ dramatically in generalised trust: Poland and the USA. Design/methodology/approach – A qualitative field study conducted in Silicon Valley-based American-Polish start-up joint venture. Findings – There are three mechanisms can facilitate collaboration in organisations that differ in generalised trust: frequent interaction that may form a basis for knowledge-based trust, professional cultures that provide common platform for communication, and presence of intermediaries that possess understanding and ability to communicate of both cultures. Practical implications – The findings can be applied in the context of offshoring projects in knowledge intensive industries. Originality/value – Research presented in this paper investigates collaboration of parties from low-trust and high-trust cultures within one business venture.

Moral space: An interview with Piotr Sztompka

ABSTRACT In this article Piotr Sztompka talks about his recent research on social capital and its crucial ingredient: moral capital that provides grounds for cooperation within societies. He also describes influences that shaped his thinking about trust and social capital as well as indicates some promising research paths for future students of trust. Both theoretical inspirations as well as real-life experiences and observations can be, as it turns out, equally significant in shaping sociological thinking and theorising about trust-related phenomena.

Alliance portfolio formation and configuration by small and medium ICT firms

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the forming and configuring of interfirm cooperation in small and medium enterprises (SMEs) characterized by different rates of growth. Design/methodology/approach – The study applies a qualitative approach. A multi-site case study was conducted in 26 Polish ICT firms. Findings – The research indicates that SMEs manage alliances ad hoc and are characterized by a constantly emerging portfolio of partners. The results also indicate that “stable-growth” and “hyper-growth” firms adopt different approaches to managing alliances and they are characterized by different attitude of top managers towards uncertainty. Practical implications – The results suggest that the managers’ attitude affects the formation and management of alliance portfolio in SMEs. The authors further highlight the importance of managerial agency within the firms and indicate that managers can actively shape the alliance portfolio of their firms. Originality/value – The paper theoretically co...

Ethics in Qualitative Research

In this chapter, we explore a number of ethical questions and ethical dilemmas that can arise at different stages of the research process. Rather than attempting to provide an answer to these or a full overview of the ethical issues encountered by researchers, we aim to sensitize the reader to some of the complexities involved in trying to do qualitative research in an ethically sensitive manner. We see ethics not as a uniform set of rules or a formal institutional requirement but rather as an integral element of research praxis. We therefore consider a number of ethical questions that are likely to arise at different stages of the research process and alert the reader to some ethically important moments that they might encounter. We start by looking at some ethical questions linked to the research design. We then turn to discussing ethical challenges associated with negotiating access, trying to obtain informed consent from participants as well as maintaining and managing relationships with them. We conclude by discussing ethical issues in relation to data presentation.