Communicating trustworthiness and building trust in interorganizational virtual organizations

We propose a theory of trust in interorganizational virtual organizations t hat focuses on how trustworthiness can be communicated and trust built in t his environment. The theory highlights three issues that must be dealt with if the potential obstacles to the development of trust in the virtual cont ext are to be overcome. These are communication of trustworthiness facilita ted by reliable Information and Communication Technology (ICT), establishme nt of a common business understanding, and strong business ethics. We propo se four specific propositions relating to these issues, and suggest topics to be explored in future research. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Inc. All right s reserved.