Contribution of the study

This study contributes to the research on trust and trust development at an or-ganisational level. I explore management and oror-ganisational change and trust development from a business and organisation studies perspective. By applying qualitative research methods and a process approach, I am able to produce a know-how type of knowledge (Langley et al. 2013, 4) in this study. On the ba-sis of qualitative case-study material and drawing on critical discourse analyba-sis (Fairclough 1992; 2005) I illustrate how trust develops between two universities as a process.

On the basis of this research, I propose that managerialism and strategic management are feasible in a university organisation if there is trust within the organisation. The working relationships in a university are delineated simultane-ously with two contradictory features: the need for cooperation between peers and competition between peers. The need for cooperation unfolds with the ne-cessity to create new knowledge within multidisciplinary research groups and educational programmes. On the other hand, in order to accomplish progress in an academic career, there is a personal need to publish in discipline based scientific journals.

The enabling effect of trust is the key for cooperation. The trust management that I introduce in this study contributes to a contemporary university organisa-tion, as well as to knowledge-intensive organisations in general in order to suc-ceed in organisational renewal and to gain competitiveness. Figure 21 illustrates dichotomies between managerialism and professionalism and between the com-petition that often exists between peers and the cooperation that is needed in or-der to accomplish the competitiveness of the organisation. The trust management that I introduce and discuss in this study contributes to the resulting cooperation that is needed in a transforming organisation.

Figure 21: Trust management enabling cooperation and trust within organisation Managerialism

Strategy

Professionalism Autonomy Competition

between peers

Cooperation between peers TRUST MANAGEMENT

DICHOTOMY

8.2.1 Theoretical and conceptual contribution

This study contributes to the discussion and knowledge of trust at an organi-sational level. Research on trust in organisations has mainly focused on inter-personal level trust. Trust at an organisational level, i.e. trust in an organisation or institutional-based trust, has been less explored (Tan & Tan 2000; Bachmann 2011). This research contributes theoretically and conceptually to trust research at an organisational level because of the implications concerning how trust could be influenced and deliberately created in an organisation is presented.

In this study, I contribute theoretically by introducing a novel perspective to the trust development process in the context of the merger between two univer-sity organisations. The merger is discussed as ‘a leap of faith’ (Möllering 2006) reflecting vulnerability and risk.

The trust development process between the two university organisations is described based on two models. I apply the three-stage-model of trust develop-ment introduced by Lewicki & Bunker (1996). This model enables me to describe how trust develops from calculus-based trust to knowledge-based trust and to-wards identification-based trust over the course of time between two university organisations. It is notable that the model of Lewicki & Bunker (1996) is not a process model as such, but rather it is based on the idea of trust developing from one stage to another.

In order to emphasise the process perspective in describing the trust develop-ment process between the two university organisations I adopt the model pre-sented by Ring & Van de Ven (1994) in combination with Lewicki & Bunker’s model.

Ring & Van de Ven (1994) present a process framework for the development of cooperative inter-organisational relationships. In line with Lewicki & Bunker’s (1996) model it is argued that trust emerges as a consequence of interactions over time and builds up gradually over the course of time through a negotiation-commitment-execution process. Trust is only one of the many elements in the framework by Ring & Van de Ven (Möllering 2006, 91). In this study, I combine Lewicki & Bunker’s (1996) trust development approach with Ring & Van de Ven’s (1994) framework, which brings the element of trust more into focus.

drawing on my qualitative case-study material, I am able to illustrate how trust develops in the transforming university organisation between two universi-ties as a process. The historical and geographical similariuniversi-ties of the two university organisations function as fruitful preconditions to the emergence of calculus-based trust during the negotiation process concerning the inter-organisational relationship.

The inter-organisational cooperation between the two universities deepens through repeated interactions. the formation of knowledge-based trust is pos-sible as a consequence of the interactions between the two universities over the course of time. In this process there are opportunities to gain further knowledge about the other partner and this eases suspicions and vulnerability and the fear of opportunistic behaviour. Familiarity enhances trust. The predictability of the

behaviour of the other partner increases in line with the increasing amount of knowledge. In the commitment stage of the relationship the reliance on the other party is strengthened on the basis of knowledge. The decision concerning the merger of two universities is made through a formal legal contract. ‘A leap of faith’ has been taken.

The process perspective involves elements of tension and contradiction that drive development continuously. In the execution stage of the merger of the two universities, there are novel and common practices which break routines. The domain of ability of the employees changes and learning is needed. Synergies gained by the merger means job losses. There is a trust decline in the ‘new’ uni-versity organisation.

The process view of trust that I present in this study emphasises the ongo-ing element of negotiation and renegotiation with the continuous assessment of efficiency and equity in line with Ring & Van de Ven (1994). The success of the ‘new’ university organisation is built on the reflexive process of develop-ing trust and common expectations over time. There is a need to complete the negotiation-commitment-execution cycle continuously in the ‘new’ university.

Over the course of time, two universities are continuously becoming one. There is a bonding between the two universities. Through a series of role interactions, the parties also become more familiar with one another as persons. Thus, they may increasingly begin to rely on interpersonal, as opposed to inter-(working) role, relationships. There is a basis for identification-based trust to grow.

8.2.2 Methodological contribution

This study contributes to qualitative empirical trust research from a process perspective which is less explored (Möllering, Bachmann & Lee 2004; Fulmer &

Gelfand 2012; Savolainen & Ikonen, 2016). Additionally, this study contributes methodologically to organisation and management knowledge by using longitu-dinal data with a qualitative research approach. Therefore, the centrality of time is recognised for producing the findings over time. Thus, this thesis study makes a contribution by applying a process view to exploring trust development over time in a contextual, longitudinal case study. As trust is viewed as a dynamic phenomenon, the longitudinal data reveals how characters of trust appear along the ‘stages’ of the emerging process (early, developing and “mature”) in the inter-actions and relationships in the process of the merger.

Moreover, the process perspective concerning trust development in a trans-forming organisation is deepened by combining the framework of Ring & Van de Ven (1994) with the three-stage-model by Lewicki & Bunker (1996). The process perspective appears progressive in nature including the idea of linear-type de-velopment found in Lewicki & Bunker’s (1996) model. By applying the framework of Ring & Van de Ven (1994) the process perspective in the trust development description is emphasised. The ongoing nature of trust development, entailing continuous interaction between partners with negotiation and renegotiation, em-phasises the process perspective.

Further, the process view enables the knowledge produced in this study to become actionable. By analysing and capturing the temporal flow of the man-agement change and trust development process in a transforming university organisation, answers useful to practitioners can be found. Insights and ideas on how trust can be influenced and deliberately created and shaped (i.e. how trust can be managed) to make organisational renewal work are presented in this study.

Methodologically, the critical discourse analysis (CdA) enabled me to analyse speeches through a three-dimensional conception of discourse. Accordingly, I studied textual features of speeches (i.e. wordings, vocabulary) in a micro-level analysis. I examined discursive practices of the text production, distribution and consumption. I analyzed the social practice around the texts in a situational (uni-versity semester opening ceremony) and institutional context (macro-level analy-sis: university in local, national, global context). By applying critical discourse analysis, I was able to benefit the uniqueness of speeches as research material consisting 17 of years and one actor to a more full extent.

Adapting a CdA-based analysis helped me to become more conscious of how the external change forces and interests shaped the production and consump-tion of the rector’s speeches as texts. The speeches come out of nothing, but are linked to other texts, ideologies and hegemonies. To link the speeches with other texts and revealing the intertextuality in the speeches enabled me to comprehend discursive acts. There are ideologies identified in this study such as globalisa-tion, internationalisaglobalisa-tion, marketization and managerialism that influence the discourse.

The analysis of texts elucidated how the texts as discourse affect identities, social relations, knowledge and beliefs. In a sense, CdA enabled me to make the abstract element of trust visible. I was able to reveal the role of discourse in pro-cesses of management and organisational change involving trust development.

It became possible to draw conclusions on introducing trust management in a merger.

8.3 IMPLICATIONS FOR MANAGEMENT OF