Trustworthiness

Trustworthiness refers to the quality of being worthy of trust. It is commonly understood as the degree to which a person or organization is perceived to be honest, capable, and benevolent, and to act with reliability in the interests of others.

In organizational and social psychology, trustworthiness is often described using three core dimensions: ability (competence and skills to perform tasks), integrity (adherence to principles and consistent moral standards), and benevolence (genuine concern for others’ welfare). Some theories add predictability and fairness as additional signals.

Trust, by contrast, is the belief that the trustee will act in a trustworthy manner, while trustworthiness is the perceived quality of the actor.

Perceptions are assessed via surveys, experiments, and reputation systems; past behavior, reputational signals, and credentials influence judgments.

Significance: trustworthiness influences cooperation, resource allocation, collaboration, technology adoption, and financial transactions. Contexts include organizations, leadership, governance, and online platforms.

Development and mitigation: Building trustworthiness through competence, reliability, transparency, openness, and accountability; repairing trust after breaches can be slow.

Limitations: perceptions can be biased; signals can be manipulated; measurement challenges.