Communication, Trust & Performance: the Influence of Trust on Performance in a/E/C Cross-Functional, Geographically Distributed Work
CENTER FOR INTEGRATED FACILITY ENGINEERING
Communication, Trust & Performance: The Influence of Trust on Performance in A/E/C Cross-functional, Geographically Distributed Work
By
Roxanne Zolin, Renate Fruchter, and Pamela Hinds
CIFE Working Paper #78 April 2003
STANFORD UNIVERSITY
Copyright © 2003 by Center for Integrated Facility Engineering
If you would like to contact the authors, please write to: c/o CIFE, Civil and Environmental Engineering Dept., Stanford University Terman Engineering Center Mail Code: 4020 Stanford, CA 94305-4020
Communication, trust and performance: The influence of trust on performance in A/E/C cross-functional, geographically distributed work
Roxanne Zolin Graduate School of Business and Public Policy Naval Postgraduate School Monterey, CA 93933-5103 Renate Fruchter Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering Construction Engineering and Management Program And Pamela J. Hinds Department of Management Science and Engineering Center for Work, Technology and Organization Stanford University Stanford, CA 94305-4026
P.O. Box 433 Marina, CA 93933-0433 Phone: (831) 869 1700 rvzolin@nps.navy.mil The authors are extremely grateful to the management and teams of Swinerton, Inc. for their participation in this study. Communication, trust and performance Page 1 of 37
Executive Summary
The purpose of this paper is to report the results of the CIFE research study of trust in cross-functional, geographically distributed A/E/C teams. Cross-functional, geographically distributed teams provide the construction industry with great advantages by bringing diverse skills to bear on problems and projects that span traditional organizational functions. Although companies are quickly adopting the model of cross-functional, geographically distributed teams, little is known about the new social environment that this creates for team members. A major challenge in such teams is the development of interpersonal trust between
Communication, Trust & Performance: The Influence of Trust on Performance in A/E/C Cross-functional, Geographically Distributed Work
By
Roxanne Zolin, Renate Fruchter, and Pamela Hinds
CIFE Working Paper #78 April 2003
STANFORD UNIVERSITY
Copyright © 2003 by Center for Integrated Facility Engineering
If you would like to contact the authors, please write to: c/o CIFE, Civil and Environmental Engineering Dept., Stanford University Terman Engineering Center Mail Code: 4020 Stanford, CA 94305-4020
Communication, trust and performance: The influence of trust on performance in A/E/C cross-functional, geographically distributed work
Roxanne Zolin Graduate School of Business and Public Policy Naval Postgraduate School Monterey, CA 93933-5103 Renate Fruchter Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering Construction Engineering and Management Program And Pamela J. Hinds Department of Management Science and Engineering Center for Work, Technology and Organization Stanford University Stanford, CA 94305-4026
P.O. Box 433 Marina, CA 93933-0433 Phone: (831) 869 1700 rvzolin@nps.navy.mil The authors are extremely grateful to the management and teams of Swinerton, Inc. for their participation in this study. Communication, trust and performance Page 1 of 37
Executive Summary
The purpose of this paper is to report the results of the CIFE research study of trust in cross-functional, geographically distributed A/E/C teams. Cross-functional, geographically distributed teams provide the construction industry with great advantages by bringing diverse skills to bear on problems and projects that span traditional organizational functions. Although companies are quickly adopting the model of cross-functional, geographically distributed teams, little is known about the new social environment that this creates for team members. A major challenge in such teams is the development of interpersonal trust between