The Role of Culture, Workgroup Membership, and Organizational Status on Cooperation and Trust: An Experimental Investigation

Abstract

We examined how interactions among participants' cultural backgrounds (e.g., Australian vs. Singaporean) and multiple subgroups (e.g., cultural group membership, workgroup membership, organizational status) affect trust and cooperation in the workplace. University students (120 Australians, 120 Singaporeans) responded to hypothetical scenarios of cooperation and trust in the workplace. The results indicated that, for both Australians and Singaporeans, trust and cooperation were more strongly influenced by workgroup membership and organizational status than by cultural group membership. Participants trusted and cooperated more with work in-group members than with work out-group members, and trusted and cooperated more with superiors than with peers. Theoretical implications are discussed.