Trust in Typical and High-Reliability Contexts: Building and Reacting to Trust among Firefighters

We develop theory that distinguishes trust in typical task contexts (marked by low levels of situational unpredictability and danger) from trust in "high-reliability" task contexts (marked by high levels of situational unpredictability and danger). A study of firefighters showed that trust in high-reliability tasks was based on coworkers' integrity whereas trust in typical tasks was also based on benevolence and identification. Trust in high reliability tasks predicted physical symptoms whereas trust in typical tasks predicted withdrawal. Linkages with performance were moderated by job demands, with trust in high-reliability tasks a more positive predictor of performance when unpredictable and dangerous calls were more frequent. [PUBLICATION ABSTRACT]