Trust and inter-organizational networking

inter-organizational and multi-functional networking are increasingly portr ayed as new and potentially more effective forms of organization, especiall y where innovation is important. This is as true for academic work undertak en within universities as it is for business organizations; multi-disciplin ary and inter-institutional collaboration being specified as highly desirab le by the major research funding bodies. Integrating mechanisms are essenti al if such networks are to be effective in co-ordinating the work of a dive rse range of partners. Importantly, they are required for the development o f trust. Thus, the literature stresses that trust between the parties ii ce ntral to the effective operation of such networks. This paper explores the evolution of trust within a particular inter-university, multi-disciplinary research team, and develops a model depicting the development and interrel ation of different types of trust within this network The difficulties this research network experienced in developing trust raise a more general ques tion about the effectiveness of interdisciplinary research.