However, swift trust requires an individual to verify that a team can manage vulnerabilities and expectations.
Trustworthiness is the ability, benevolence, and integrity of a trustee, and trust propensity is a dispositional willingness to rely on others.
However, benevolence as an antecedent may be helpful in the explanation of swift trust in that it is a more affective acknowledgment of mutual concern inherent in the relationship.
For example, institutional trust is what allows seeming strangers to engage in contracts, due to the faith in the legal system.
Generally, trust is assumed to build over time, with a trustor updating beliefs about the trust-related attributes of the trustee.
Swift trust is "a unique form of collective perception and relating that is capable of managing issues of vulnerability, uncertainty, risk, and expectations".
One of the ways researchers examine the interaction between trust and time is through the classic prisoner's dilemma experiments.
Meyerson et al. explain the normative components as providing "social proofs" and "fail-safe mechanisms" that can regulate trust and "avoid exaggerated confidence".
According to Meyerson et al.,[1] swift trust erodes with "deviations from or violations of group norms and presumptions about competent...behavior" of the team (p. 190).
Crisp and Jarvenpaa[12] propose that the normative influence on swift trust may be much more important than originally theorized by Meyerson et al. Norms promote adaptive behavior by providing guidelines for what is considered acceptable in a group or team.
By setting norms and mutually agreed upon standards, and acting in accordance, the team reinforces the social attraction to the group.
For example, if teams have low early trusting beliefs, strong normative actions may be seen as controlling and inhibiting rather than coordinating and helpful.
[12] Some researchers have noted that because many temporary teams are geographically separated or have members from different cultures and social systems, accepted norms could vary significantly.
[12] In fact, in a study by Postmes, Spears, and Lea, (2000),[15] normative influences emerged over time, not through preconceived rules.
[7] Swift trust is critical to virtual teams when there is limited or no time to build interpersonal relationships.
[12] Trust plays a critical role in organizational dynamics, especially within Global Virtual Teams (GVTs).
[18] Trust in GVTs is built on a foundation of transparent communication, empathy, consistency, inclusivity, accountability, and integrity.
Effective leaders in GVTs embody these attributes and actively work to cultivate trust among team members, recognizing its critical importance in driving collaboration and achieving organizational success in a virtual environment.