Interpersonelles oder Systemvertrauen: Ein empirisch-analytisches Problem? / Interpersonal trust or trust in the system: An empirical- analytical problem?

In work research, the topic of trust within organizations is discussed with great interest. As such it is challenged by a variety of possible systematizations from different disciplines and different perspectives. This results in special requirements for applied field research: How can it systematically analyze a phenomenon, which is hardly accessible from a reflexive approach, when every­day language and academic discourse use various terms with vague meanings? At first glance, the distinction between interpersonal trust and trust in the system offers a selective approach for research and practice. The evaluation of interview minutes also shows that explicit and clear-cut assignments of confidence either in or between persons or in systems are only possible if they simplify the complex phenomenon of organizational trust. However, this leads to stagnancy in knowledge gain. This paper focuses on the question of person, role and organization as an obstacle to the empirical and analytical research on organizational trust and discusses opportunities and limitations of a systems theoretical differentiation for research practice: the distinction between interpersonal trust and trust in the system.