Trust in Difficult People: A Social Network Perspective
研究为何有些人即使有过严重冒犯仍被信任，而另一些人则不然。从社会网络角度分析，发现难相处同事在管理者网络中的嵌入程度越高，信任度越高，且管理者自身网络的开放或封闭程度会调节这一效应。
Abstract We all know people we find difficult to deal with. Some we trust despite major past transgressions, others we do not. What explains the difference? Rather than looking for explanations inside the trustor–trustee dyad, we focus on the embedding social structure. Our argument focuses on two features: network closure around the trustor and the embeddedness of the difficult contact. We test and confirm our argument using data from 384 Chinese managers. Our results show that managers who cite colleagues as difficult following a major transgression report higher trust the more the difficult contact is embedded within the manager's network. The effect is smaller (larger) if the manager is surrounded by a rather closed (open) social network. At a practical level, our study helps distinguish between social situations that facilitate trust and those that impede trust once interpersonal conflicts have tainted a relationship.