Five Faces of Trust: An Empirical Confirmation in Urban Elementary Schools

Abstract

After an extensive review of the literature on trust, a multi-faceted definition of faculty trust was developed at three organizational levels: trust in principal, trust in colleagues, and trust in clients. Along with a general willingness to risk vulnerability, five faces of trust emerged: benevolence, reliability, competence, honesty, and openness. This conceptual formulation of faculty trust was then subjected to empirical test, which supported the theoretical underpinnings of the construct. Finally, three trust scales with substantial validity and reliability are offered to researchers and practitioners to analyze antecedents and consequences of faculty trust in other schools.