Trust and Trustworthiness across Cultures: Implications for Societies and Workplaces

This book investigates trust in seven different cultural contexts, exploring how societal culture can influence our expectations regarding what may be considered trustworthy within a cultural context. Although the definition of trustworthiness is clear, how it is operationalized and applied in various cultural contexts can vary greatly. While certain components of trustworthiness may be universal, what a given society expects from individuals, and the extent to which they fulfill those expectations, plays a role in whether or not those individuals may be trusted. Each chapter discusses literature related to trust and trustworthiness within a specific cultural context, addresses both etic and emic aspects of decisions to trust another, and provides practical implications, with a focus on how trustworthiness can be seen in organizational contexts. With contributions from international scholars and a diverse range of cross-cultural perspectives, this unique volume will be of interest to work psychologists, HR and management professionals, and researchers in organizational behavior.

​Catherine T. Kwantes, PhD
Catherine Kwantes is a Professor of Industrial-Organizational Psychology and Director of the Culture and Organizational Research Centre at the University of Windsor. She holds an MSc in Clinical Psychology, and MA and PhD degrees in Industrial-Organizational Psychology. Her main research interest is in the intersection of societal and organizational cultures, and how societal cultures affect perceptions of trustworthiness in organizations, workplace interactions, and employee attitudes. She has given lectures to audiences around the world, taught in numerous countries, and provided consulting services to organizations in North America and Asia. She has lived and worked in Canada, Japan, India, and the USA.
Ben C. H. Kuo, PhD, Certified Psychologist
Dr Ben Kuo is a Professor of Adult Clinical Psychology at the University of Windsor, Canada and a registered psychologist in Ontario. His research focuses on the intersection between culture and psychology, particularly in the areas of multicultural counseling and training, and cross-cultural psychology. Dr Kuo regularly teaches and supervises clinical psychology graduate students in multicultural psychotherapy courses and practicums with diverse clients, including refugees. He has lectured and provided training in Taiwan, China, Thailand, New Zealand, Russia, Brazil, and Canada. Dr Kuo was the recipient of the Outstanding Research Award: Establish Research/Scholar Category as well as the Faculty of Arts, Humanities, and Social Science’s Dr. Kathleen E. McCrone Teaching Award at the University of Windsor in 2017.