Firsthand experience and the subsequent role of reflected knowledge in cultivating trust in global collaboration
By: Mark Mortensen, Tsedal Beyene
Contributors: Beyene, Tsedal; Harvard Business School
Series: Working paper / Harvard Business School -- 09-131; Working paper (Harvard Business School) -- 09-
Publisher: Harvard Business School
Published: 2009
Place of publication: [Boston]
Language: eng
Number of pages: 65
Description: While scholars contend that firsthand experience is crucial in globally distributed collaboration, how such experience actually affects interpersonal dynamics is poorly understood. Based on 47 semi-structured interviews and 140 survey responses in a global chemical company, this paper explores the effects of firsthand experience on intersite trust. We find firsthand experience leads not just to direct knowledge of the other, but also knowledge of the self as seen through the eyes of the other - what we call "reflected knowledge." Reflected and direct knowledge, in turn, affect trust through identification, adaptation, and reduced misunderstandings.
Notes: "May 2009"--Publisher's website.

Includes bibliographical references.