Building trust: the importance of both task and social precursors

Team projects call for a blend of task and social skills. Successful completion of a group's task or goal often depends on resolving conflicts between desired task outcomes and volatile interpersonal relationships within groups or teams. Since each member forms unique social relationships with every other member of a group, these relationships may carry over to subsequent groups, as the old group completes its project and disbands. Thus, a trusting relationship between team members becomes the foundation of future cooperative efforts. Some people are so socially maladjusted they can't seem to get along with anyone. Estimates are that as many as 20% of the population have emotional distress that seriously affects their social interactions. Fortunately, most people range from well adjusted to only mildly maladjusted Stable, well-adjusted people fit well into groups, and they typically display various shades of the following four positive traits-agreeableness, assertiveness, consciousness, and openness. However, even mild personality problems can be discouraging and unsettling to others. Distressed people rarely fit well into groups, and they typically display various shades of the following four extreme, or negative traits-passivity, demanding behaviours, rigidity, and distractibility. This study examines the roles played by these stable and extreme traits in building not only trust, but the likelihood an individual would be willing to work with another individual again on a new project.