From Intention to Trust to Behavioral Trust: Trust Building in Family Business Advising

By building on foundations from psychology, we aim to enhance academic understanding of the advising process in family businesses. We find evidence, based on rich qualitative data, suggesting that trust serves as a key construct in the relationship between family businesses and their advisors. In particular, we empirically show and theorize that trusting relationships evolve via a nonlinear process characterized by a constant interplay between cognitive and-increasingly important-affective assessments of family business trustors. The following types of trust emerge from these internal assessments: an intention to trust, which develops into perceived trust and finally results in behavioral trust.

Automated summary

Drawing on psychology, this study aims to enhance academic understanding of the advising process in family businesses. The research findings, based on rich qualitative data, suggest that trust is a key factor in the relationship between family businesses and their advisors. The study empirically demonstrates that trusting relationships evolve through a nonlinear process involving both cognitive and increasingly important affective assessments, leading to various types of trust such as intention to trust, perceived trust, and behavioral trust.