BT Technol J Vol 17 No 1 January 1999 111 Exploring trust in flexible working using a new model D Warne and C P Holland Information technology (IT) facilitates novel forms of communication between individuals and organisations, thus supporting new flexible work patterns and making organisational boundaries more permeable. In general, this increases the physical and cultural distances both within and between organisations choosing to work together. In all of these situations, trust is a critical part of the process by which relationships develop. This paper presents a model of the trust development process called the ABC Trust Model. It is based on a synthesis of the management and information systems literature. The model is illustrated by applying it to a case example of remote working between individuals within an organisation. It is also demonstrated that the ABC Trust Model can be applied more generally to the fostering of co-operative relationships between both individuals and organisations that are supported by shared information systems. It is therefore of value to researchers investigating trust and also to managers involved in the design and implementation of IT-based co-operative relationships. The implications for new information systems design are discussed and opportunities for future research are outlined. 1. Introduction Trust existing between individuals, and their expected behaviour, can be explored using trust models. These can be used by people who are designing and introducing systems — such as products and services, business reorganisations, and new ways of working — into organisations, in order to increase the chances of successful implementation. In this paper a trust model is applied to flexible working. The trust model takes into account an individual’s or an organisation’s tendency to trust, the situation in which actions which demonstrate that trust is needed, and the consequences of applying trust. The trust aspects of flexible working that are looked at include how managers can trust individuals without working with them face-to-face, what enables remote workers to trust their managers to treat them fairly and to what extent flexible workers can trust technology to do their work more effectively. 2. The importance of trust One of the characteristics of innovative work practices and alliances is that they often combine elements of co- operation and competition [4], adding to the participant’s perceptions of risk and precariousness. Trust within organisations is an extremely complex and dynamic phenomenon [5]. For example an employee may trust his co-workers but distrust his supervisor or top management. Trust is dynamic — it changes over time based on new evidence of people’s expectations and behaviours. A n increasingly competitive global business environment has radically increased user demand for customisation of products and services, new product development and lower prices. To cope with these new challenges, organisations have begun to implement innovative systems and businesses such as contracting, horizontal co-operation within and between organisations, and flexible (remote) working [1]. Such economic and business changes require an increasing degree of trust between individuals. This is partly due to the increased risks involved when people collaborate without being collocated. At the same time western society’s social capital (i.e. the fund of trust and goodwill in any social group that enables people within it to collaborate with each other without having to first write a voluminous legal agreement) is thought to be decreasing [2, 3]. This means that organisations have to create their own social capital rather than relying on employees’ altruism and natural propensity to trust [2]. A major organisational implication of innovative work practices is the increase in physical distance between people who work together. The lack of presence and visibility and the general turmoil generated by change within organisations can lead to a feeling of distrust and vulnerability. At the same time the increase in physical distance is a key opportunity for the deployment of new telecommunications products and services. These can overcome some of the problems of physical separation, but this can only be done successfully if people feel at ease using them.