Betrayal of Trust in Organizations

Abstract

Examples of violations or betrayals of trust in organizations abound. Despite growing concern in organizations, relatively little theory exists regarding the dynamics of trust violations from the perpetrator's (rather than the victim's) perspective. We adopt the betrayer's perspective in this article and, drawing from multiple literatures, offer a conceptualization of betrayal, differentiating it from deviant and antisocial behaviors in organizations. Next, we propose a typology of betrayal before focusing on the most common form: opportunistic betrayal. We then develop a model of its antecedents and moderators and highlight the intrapersonal-, interpersonal-, and organization-level characteristics of the model's components. We end by discussing implications for theory, research, and practice.

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