Section II: Trust in Online Communities

The two chapters of Section II lead readers to the issues related to the fundamental role of trust in online environments and virtual teamwork. In Chapter 4 Diane H. Sonnenwald introduces the concept of conceptual organization. She provides a very timely and thoughtful analysis of how to manage cognitive and affective trust in a geographically distributed conceptual organization aiming at carrying out research and development work. Sonnenwald also discusses the possibilities provided by information and communication technology (ICT) for performing in geographically distributed conceptual organizations. The empirical data analyzed is based on her own involvement as a participative observer in a recent research project utilizing a new from of organizing based on the use of the latest, advanced ICT.

In Chapter 5 Elisabeth Davenport and Leo McLaughlin explore interpersonal trust in general and swift trust in particular in online partnerships. Their focus on the situational nature of trust is well argued and criticism of the psychological approach is also given. The emphasis is placed on situations where there is little time to establish deep acquaintance and mutual understanding for trust building. These situations call for swift trust when partners do not possess a long common history of working, but have to be able to carry out a joint task within a short period. Moreover, their elaboration of trust also relates the design of e-commerce and links this chapter to the next chapter in the next section of the book.