This Article Abstract Free Full Text (Free PDF) Free Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Request Permissions Request Reprints Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Moreland, R. L. Articles by Levine, J. M. Search for Related Content Social Bookmarking                   What's this?

Socialization and Trust in Work Groups

Department of Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, cslewis+{at}pitt.edu

John M. Levine

Department of Psychology, University of Pittsburgh

Several theoretical analyses of trust in organizations have been offered, but the social context in which that trust operates is often ignored. Our analysis examines trust in work groups, with a focus on changes in such groups over time. Socialization is an important form of temporal change in work groups (Moreland & Levine, 2000). Workers move into and out of these groups over time, so most groups contain people in different membership phases. We are intrigued by the issues of trust that can arise for full members of groups with new or marginal members. One such issue is how much a group’s full members can trust its new and marginal members, who belong to the group, but are not fully accepted by it. A related issue is how much full members can trust each other around any new or marginal members, whose thoughts, feelings, and behavior must be carefully monitored and shaped before they gain (or regain) the group’s acceptance. After analyzing both of these issues in some detail, we close by identifying several other issues of trust that can arise in work groups as they change over time.

Key Words: group processes • marginal members • newcomers • socialization • teams • trust • work groups

References

• Abrams, D., Marques, J. M., Bown, N., & Henson, M. (2000). Pro-norm and anti-norm deviance within and between groups. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 78, 906-912.[CrossRef][ISI][Medline] [Order article via Infotrieve]
• Ancona, D. G., & Caldwell, D. F. (1998). Rethinking team composition from the outside in. In D. H. Gruenfeld (Ed.), Research on managing groups and teams, Vol. 1: Composition (pp. 21-37). Stamford, CT: JAI Press.
• Aronson, E., & Mills, J. (1959). The effect of severity of initiation on liking for a group. Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology, 59, 177-181.[CrossRef]
• Arrow, H. (1998). Standing out and fitting in: Composition effects on newcomer socialization. In D. H. Gruenfeld (Ed.), Research on managing groups and teams, Vol. 1: Composition (pp. 59-80). Stamford, CT: JAI Press.
• Avolio, B. J., Kahai, S., Dumdum, R., & Sivasubramaniam, N. (2001). Virtual teams: Implications for e-leadership and team development. In M. London (Ed.), How people evaluate others in organization (pp. 337-358). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.
• Baratta, J. E., & McManus, M. A. (1992). The effect of contextual factors on individuals’ job performance. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 22, 1702-1710.[CrossRef]
• Barker, J. R., & Tompkins, P. K. (1994). Identification in the self-managing organization: Characteristics of target and tenure. Human Communication Research, 21, 223-240.[CrossRef][ISI]
• Bearman, P. S. (1991). Desertion as localism: Army unit solidarity and group norms in the U.S. Civil War. Social Forces, 70, 321-342.[CrossRef]
• Becker, T. E. (1992). Foci and bases of commitment: Are they distinctions worth making?Academy of Management Journal, 35, 232-244.[CrossRef][ISI]
• Becker, T. E., Randall, D. M., & Riegel, C. D. (1995). The multidimensional view of commitment and the theory of reasoned action: A comparative evaluation. Journal of Management, 21, 617-638.[Abstract]
• Berdahl, J. L. (1998). The dynamics of composition and socialization in small groups: Insights gained from developing a computational model. In D. H. Gruenfeld (Ed.), Research on managing groups and teams, Vol. 1: Composition (pp. 209-227). Stamford, CT: JAI Press.
• Blau, G. (1995). Influence of group lateness on individual lateness: A cross-level examination. Academy of Management Journal, 38, 1483-1496.[CrossRef]
• Brewer, M. (1993). The role of distinctiveness in social identity and group behavior. In M. A. Hogg & D. Abrams (Eds.), Group motivation: Social psychological perspectives (pp. 1-16). New York: Harvester-Wheatsheaf.
• Brinthaupt, T., Moreland, R. L., & Levine, J. M. (1991). Sources of optimism among prospective group members. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 17, 36-43.[Abstract]
• Burke, R. J., & Bolf, C. (1986). Learning within organizations: Sources and content. Psychological Reports, 59, 1187-1198.
• Caporael, L. R., & Baron, R. M. (1997). Groups as the mind’s natural environment. In J. A. Simpson & K. T. Kenrick (Eds.), Evolutionary social psychology (pp. 317-344). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.
• Cascio, W. F. (1999). Virtual workplaces: Implications for organizational behavior. In C. L. Cooper & D. M. Rousseau (Eds.), Trends in organizational behavior: Vol. 6. The virtual organization (pp. 1-14). Chichester, England: Wiley.
• Chapin, C. F. (1957). The optimum size of institutions: A theory of the large group. American Journal of Sociology, 62, 449-460.[CrossRef]
• Cini, M., Moreland, R. L., & Levine, J. M. (1993). Group staffing levels and responses to prospective and new group members. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 65, 723-734.[CrossRef]
• Cook, K. S. (Ed.). (2001). Trust in society. New York: Russell Sage Foundation.
• Dansky, K. H. (1996). The effect of group mentoring on career outcomes. Group and Organization Management, 21, 5-21.
• Edmondson, A. (1999). Psychological safety and learning behavior in work teams. Administrative Science Quarterly, 44, 350-383.[CrossRef]
• Elangovan, A. R., & Shapiro, D. L. (1998). Betrayal of trust in organizations. Academy of Management Review, 23, 547-566.[CrossRef]
• Emler, N. (1990). A social psychology of reputation. In W. Stroebe & M. Hewstone (Eds.), European Review of Social Psychology, 1, 171-193.
• Emler, N., & Reicher, S. D. (1995). Adolescence and delinquency: The collective management of reputation. Oxford: Blackwell.
• Feldman, D. C. (1994). Who’s socializing whom? The impact of socializing newcomers on insiders, work groups, and organizations. Human Resource Management Review, 4, 213-233.[CrossRef]
• Feldman, D. C., Doerpinghaus, H. I., & Turnley, W. H. (1994). Employee reactions to temporary jobs. Journal of Managerial Issues, 7, 127-141.
• Garsten, C. (1999). Betwixt and between: Temporary employees as liminal subjects in flexible organizations. Organization Studies, 20, 601-617.[Abstract/Free Full Text]
• George, J. M. (1990). Personality, affect, and behavior in groups. Journal of Applied Psychology, 75, 107-116.[CrossRef]
• Greenberg, J. (1996). ‘Forgive me, I’m new’: Three experimental demonstrations of the effects of attempts to excuse poor performance. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 66, 165-178.[CrossRef]
• Gregersen, H. B. (1993). Multiple commitments at work and extra-role behavior during three stages of organizational tenure. Journal of Business Research, 26, 31-47.[CrossRef]
• Gruys, M. L., & Sackett, P. R. (2001, April). The dimensionality of deviant employee behavior in the workplace. Paper presented at the 16th Annual Conference of the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology, San Diego, CA.
• Guimond, S. (1995). Encounter and metamorphosis: The impact of military socialization on professional values. Applied Psychology: An International Review, 44, 251-275.
• Haas, J. (1977). Learning real feelings: A study of high steel ironworkers’ reactions to fear and danger. Sociology of Work & Occupations, 4, 147-170.
• Jablin, F. M. (2001). Organizational entry, assimilation, and disengagement/exit. In F. M. Jablin & L. L. Putnam (Eds.), New handbook of organizational communication: Advances in theory, research, and methods (pp. 732-819). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
• Jackson, S. E., Stone, V. K., & Alvarez, E. B. (1992). Socialization amidst diversity: Impact of demographics on work team oldtimers and newcomers. In L. L. Cummings & B. M. Staw (Eds.), Research in organizational behavior (Vol. 15, pp. 45-109). Greenwich, CT: JAI Press.
• James, K., & Cropanzano, R. (1974). Dispositional group loyalty and individual action for the benefit of an ingroup: Experimental and correlational evidence. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 60, 179-205.[CrossRef]
• Jarvenpaa, S. L., & Leidner, D. E. (1998). Communication and trust in global virtual teams. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 3, 791-815.
• Jones, G. R., & George, J. M. (1998). The experience and evolution of trust: Implications for cooperation and teamwork. Academy of Management Review, 23, 531-546.[CrossRef]
• Kerr, N. L., & Kaufman-Gilliland, C. M. (1994). Communication, commitment, and cooperation in social dilemmas. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 66, 513-529.[CrossRef]
• Kram, K. E. (1988). Mentoring at work: Developmental relationships in organizational life. Lanham, MD: University Press of America.
• Kram, K. E., & Isabella, L. A. (1985). Mentoring alternatives: The role of peer relationships in career development. Academy of Management Journal, 28, 110-132.[CrossRef][ISI]
• Kramer, R. M. (1994). The sinister attribution error: Paranoid cognition and collective distrust in organizations. Motivation and Emotion, 18, 199-230.
• Kramer, R. M. (1998). Paranoid cognition in social systems: Thinking and acting in the shadow of doubt. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 2, 251-275.
• Kramer, R. M. (1999). Trust and distrust in organizations: Emerging perspectives, enduring questions. Annual Review of Psychology, 50, 569-598.[CrossRef][ISI][Medline] [Order article via Infotrieve]
• Kramer, R. M., & Brewer, M. B. (1984). Effects of group identity on resource use in a simulated commons dilemma. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 46, 1044-1057.[CrossRef][ISI][Medline] [Order article via Infotrieve]
• Kramer, R. M., & Tyler, T. R. (1996). Trust in organizations: Frontiers of theory and research. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
• Lawler, E. J. (1992). Affective attachments to nested groups: A choice process theory. American Sociological Review, 57, 327-339.[CrossRef]
• Lee, T. W., Ashford, S. J., Walsh, J. P., & Mowday, R. T. (1992). Commitment propensity, organizational commitment, and voluntary turnover: A longitudinal study of organizational entry processes. Journal of Management, 18, 15-32.[Abstract]
• Levine, J. M. (1989). Reactions to opinion deviance in small groups. In P. Paulus (Ed.), Psychology of group influence (2nd ed., pp. 187-232). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.
• Levine, J. M., & Moreland, R. L. (1985). Innovation and socialization in small groups. In S. Moscovici, G. Mugny, & E. van Avermaet (Eds.), Perspectives on minority influence (pp. 141-169). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
• Levine, J. M., & Moreland, R. L. (1990). Progress in small group research. Annual Review of Psychology, 41, 585-634.[CrossRef][ISI]
• Levine, J. M., & Moreland, R. L. (1991). Culture and socialization in work groups. In L. B. Resnick, J. M. Levine, & S. D. Teasdale (Eds.), Perspectives on socially shared cognition (pp. 257-279). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
• Levine, J. M., & Moreland, R. L. (1998). Small groups. In D. Gilbert, S. Fiske, & G. Lindzey (Eds.), The handbook of social psychology (4th ed., Vol. 2, pp. 415-469). Boston, MA: McGraw-Hill.
• Levine, J. M., & Moreland, R. L. (1999). Knowledge transmission in work groups: Helping newcomers to succeed. In L. Thompson, J. Levine, & D. Messick (Eds.), Shared cognition in organizations: The management of knowledge (pp. 267-296). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.
• Levine, J. M., Moreland, R. L., & Choi, H-S. (2001). Group socialization and newcomer innovation. In M. Hogg & S. Tindale (Eds.), Blackwell handbook in social psychology: Vol. 3. Group processes (pp. 86-106). Oxford: Blackwell.
• Levine, J. M., Moreland, R. L., & Ryan, C. (1998). Group socialization and intergroup relations. In C. Sedikides, J. Schopler, & C. Insko (Eds.), Intergroup cognition and intergroup behavior (pp. 283-308). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.
• Levine, J. M., & Thompson, L. (1996). Conflict in groups. In E. T. Higgins & A. W. Kruglanski (Eds)., Social psychology: Handbook of basic principles (pp. 745-776). New York: Guilford Press.
• Lipman-Blumen, J., & Leavitt, H. J. (1999). Hot groups with ‘attitude’: A new organizational state of mind. Organizational Dynamics, 27, 63-73.[CrossRef]
• Lois, J. (1999). Socialization to heroism: Individualism and collectivism in a voluntary search and rescue group. Social Psychology Quarterly, 62, 117-135.[CrossRef]
• Louis, M. R. (1980). Surprise and sense-making: What newcomers experience in entering unfamiliar organizational settings. Administrative Science Quarterly, 25, 226-251.[CrossRef][ISI][Medline] [Order article via Infotrieve]
• Louis, M. R., Posner, B. Z., & Powell, G. N. (1983). The availability and helpfulness of socialization practices. Personnel Psychology, 36, 857-866.
• Maass, A., West, S. G., & Cialdini, R. B. (1987). Minority influence and conversion. Review of Personality and Social Psychology, 8, 55-79.
• Marques, J., Abrams, D., & Serodio, R. G. (2001). Being better by being right: Subjective group dynamics and derogation of in-group deviants when generic norms are undermined. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 81, 436-447.[CrossRef][ISI][Medline] [Order article via Infotrieve]
• Mathieu, J. E., & Kohler, S. S. (1990). A cross-level examination of group absence influences on individual absence. Journal of Applied Psychology, 75, 217-220.[CrossRef]
• Mayer, R. C., Davis, J. H., & Schoorman, F. D. (1995). An integrative model of organizational trust. Academy of Management Review, 20, 709-734.[CrossRef]
• McPhee, R. D., & Corman, S. R. (1995). An activity-based theory of communication networks in organizations, applied to the case of a local church. Communication Monographs, 62, 132-151.
• Meyerson, D., Weick, K. E., & Kramer, R. M. (1996). Swift trust and temporary groups. In R. M. Kramer & T. R. Tyler (Eds.), Trust in organizations: Frontiers of theory and research (pp. 166-195). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
• Moreland, R. L. (1985). Social categorization and the assimilation of ‘new’ group members. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 48, 1173-1190.[CrossRef][ISI]
• Moreland, R. L., & Levine, J. M. (1982). Socialization in small groups: Temporal changes in individual-group relations. In L. Berkowitz (Ed.), Advances in experimental social psychology (Vol. 15, pp. 137-192). New York: Academic Press.
• Moreland, R. L., & Levine, J. M. (1984). Role transitions in small groups. In V. Allen & E. van de Vliert (Eds.), Role transitions: Explorations and explanations (pp. 181-195). New York: Plenum.
• Moreland, R. L., & Levine, J. M. (1988). Group dynamics over time: Development and socialization in small groups. In J. McGrath (Ed.), The social psychology of time: New perspectives (pp. 151-181). Newbury Park, CA: Sage.
• Moreland, R. L., & Levine, J. M. (1989). Newcomers and oldtimers in small groups. In P. Paulus (Ed.), Psychology of group influence (2nd ed., pp. 143-186). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.
• Moreland, R. L., & Levine, J. M. (2000). Socialization in organizations and work groups. In M. Turner (Ed.), Groups at work: Theory and research (pp. 69-112). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.
• Moreland, R. L., Levine, J. M., & Cini, M. A. (1993). Group socialization: The role of commitment. In M. Hogg & D. Abrams (Eds.), Group motivation: Social psychological perspectives (pp. 105-129). London: Harvester-Wheatsheaf.
• Moreland, R. L., Levine, J. M., & McMinn, J. G. (2001). Self-categorization and work group socialization. In M. Hogg & D. Terry (Eds.), Social identity processes in organizational contexts (pp. 87-100). Philadelphia, PA: Psychology Press.
• Nelson, D. L. (1987). Organizational socialization: A stress perspective. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 8, 311-324.
• Northcraft, G. B., Polzer, J. T., Neale, M. A., & Kramer, R. M. (1995). Diversity, social identity, and performance: Emergent social dynamics in cross-functional teams. In S. E. Jackson & M. N. Ruderman (Eds.), Diversity in work teams: Research paradigms for a changing workplace (pp. 69-96). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
• Ostroff, C., & Kozlowski, S. W. (1992). Organizational socialization as a learning process: The role of information acquisition. Personnel Psychology, 45, 849-874.[ISI]
• Pavelchak, M., Moreland, R. L., & Levine, J. M. (1986). Effects of prior group memberships on subsequent reconnaissance activities. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 50, 56-66.[CrossRef][ISI]
• Porter, G. (1997). Trust in teams: Member perceptions and the added concern of cross-cultural interpretations. In M. M. Beyerlein & D. A. Johnson (Eds.), Advances in interdisciplinary studies of work teams (Vol. 4, pp. 45-77). Stamford, CT: JAI Press.
• Reicheld, F. (1996). The loyalty effect. Cambridge, MA: Harvard Business School Press.
• Robinson, S. L., & Rousseau, D. M. (1994). Violating the psychological contract: Not the exception, but the norm. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 15, 245-259.
• Roethlisberger, F. J., & Dickson, W. J. (1939). Management and the worker. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
• Schlenker, B. R. (1980). Impression management: The self-concept, social identity, and interpersonal relations. Monterey, CA: Brooks/Cole.
• Schoggen, P. (1989). Behavior settings: A revision and extension of Roger C. Barker’s ecological psychology. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press.
• Sherif, M., Harvey, O. J., White, J. B., Hood, W. R., & Sherif, C. W. (1961). Intergroup conflict and cooperation: The Robbers’ Cave experiment. Norman, OK: University of Oklahoma Book Exchange.
• Shockley-Zalabak, P., Ellis, K., & Winograd, G. (2000). Organizational trust: What it means, why it matters. Organization Development Journal, 18, 35-48.
• Staw, B. M., Sandelands, L. E., & Dutton, J. E. (1981). Threat-rigidity effects in organizational behavior: A multilevel analysis. Administrative Science Quarterly, 26, 501-524.[CrossRef][ISI]
• Sutton, R. I., & Louis, M. R. (1987). How selecting and socializing newcomers influences insiders. Human Resource Management, 26, 347-361.
• Trice, H. M., & Beyer, J. M. (1984). Studying organizational cultures through rites and ceremonies. Academy of Management Review, 9, 653-669.[CrossRef]
• Tuckman, B. W. (1965). Developmental sequence in small groups. Psychological Bulletin, 63, 384-399.[CrossRef][ISI][Medline] [Order article via Infotrieve]
• Vaught, C., & Smith, D. L. (1980). Incorporation and mechanical solidarity in an underground coal mine. Sociology of Work & Occupations, 7, 159-187.
• Williams, M. (2001). In whom we trust: Group membership as an affective context for trust development. Academy of Management Review, 26, 377-396.
• Yan, A., & Louis, M. R. (1999). The migration of organizational functions to the work unit level: Buffering, spanning, and bringing up boundaries. Human Relations, 52, 25-47.[Abstract]
• Zaccaro, S. J., & Dobbins, G. H. (1989). Contrasting group and organizational commitment: Evidence for differences among multilevel attachments. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 10, 267-273.

CiteULike

Connotea

Del.icio.us

Digg

Reddit

Technorati

This article has been cited by other articles:

				M. London Antecedents and Consequences of Self-Verification: Implications for Individual and Group Development Human Resource Development Review, September 1, 2003; 2(3): 273 - 293. [Abstract] [PDF]

This Article Abstract Free Full Text (Free PDF) Free Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Request Permissions Request Reprints Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Moreland, R. L. Articles by Levine, J. M. Search for Related Content Social Bookmarking                   What's this?