Title: Building trust and commitment in a global organisation

Authors: Janis L. Gogan

Addresses: Bentley College, 175 Forest Street, Waltham, MA 02452–4705, USA

Abstract: How do managers adapt to structural conditions and cultures in different locations where they do business, as they attempt to shape organisational culture and practices? This paper reports on a case study of |EmergeInc|, a (disguised) company that operated from offices in several different countries, selling online information services to customers in many different countries. The case illustrates management|s role in attempting to accommodate to cultural and structural influences, while actively shaping organisational norms and practices. Three main techniques were used by management to build trust and commitment: story-telling, transferring employees, and creating new integrative roles and reporting relationships.

Keywords: organisational culture; structural features; global management; trust building; commitment building; globalisation; online information; organisational structure.

DOI: 10.1504/IJNVO.2008.018829

International Journal of Networking and Virtual Organisations, 2008 Vol.5 No.3/4, pp.396 - 414

Published online: 19 Jun 2008 *

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