Reorganizing the Boundaries of Trust: From Discrete Alternatives to Hybrid Forms

In this essay I propose that trust be reconceptualized as a family of hybrid form concepts. I argue that trust and risk frequently co-occur and overlap. In conjunction, the concepts produce hybrid social judgments that combine elements of trust and risk. The point of overlap among trust and risk centers on the choice to be vulnerable to the decisions and actions of another party. However, the types of decision making and information processing involved represent important differences between the two types of social judgments. Whereas risk involves probabilistic decision making and more controlled information processing, trust involves heuristic decision making and more automatic information processing. I conclude with a discussion of new directions for organizational research based on the notion of hybrid forms of trust.