Understanding collaboration in a research network: The role of trust

Authors: Hurst, Zachary; GWENDWR, MEREDITH - University Of Nebraska; FRIEDRICHSEN, CLAIRE - University Of Idaho; WULFHORST, J - University Of Idaho

Submitted to: Society and Natural Resources
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 3/9/2022
Publication Date: 3/30/2022
Citation: Hurst, Z.M., Gwendwr, M., Friedrichsen, C., Wulfhorst, J.D. 2022. Understanding Collaboration in a Research Network: The Role of Trust. Society and Natural Resources. Presentation.

Interpretive Summary: The agricultural research community has pushed to increase the impact of research via the development of scientific networks. These networks strive for multi-site, coordinated research, which is frequently administered within an organizational structure. In any research process, there are uncertainties regarding its outcomes, which can be compounded in a network setting because research must fit within a researcher social network and organizational structure. Researchers must be willing to accept a level of vulnerability in relation to their research outcomes. Given such a dynamic, it is likely that trust will play an important role in researchers’ involvement with the network organization. To understand the role of trust in collaboration, we evaluated researcher trust, collaboration behavior, and behavioral intentions within a science network using an online questionnaire. We asked researchers about their research activities and intentions, trust, and their perspectives regarding the research network. We found support for four types of trust among researchers: affective, procedural, dispositional and rational. Using a regression analysis, we found that trust does play a role in researchers’ behavioral intentions, however, not all forms of trust were related to behavioral intentions nor were they positively associated with collaboration. Based upon our findings, we provide theoretical insights about collaboration, as well as, recommendations to help foster collaboration within research networks and among researchers more generally.

Technical Abstract: The agricultural research community has pushed to increase the impact of research via the development of scientific networks. These networks strive for multi-site, coordinated research, which is frequently administered within an organizational structure. In any research process, there are uncertainties regarding its outcomes, which can be compounded in a network setting because research must fit within a researcher social network and organizational structure. Researchers must be willing to accept a level of vulnerability in relation to their research outcomes. Given such a dynamic, it is likely that trust will play an important role in researchers’ involvement with the network organization. To understand the role of trust in collaboration, we evaluated researcher trust, collaboration behavior, and behavioral intentions within a science network using an online questionnaire. We asked researchers about their research activities and intentions, trust, and their perspectives regarding the research network. We found support for four types of trust among researchers: affective, procedural, dispositional and rational. Using a regression analysis, we found that trust does play a role in researchers’ behavioral intentions, however, not all forms of trust were related to behavioral intentions nor were they positively associated with collaboration. Based upon our findings, we provide theoretical insights about collaboration, as well as, recommendations to help foster collaboration within research networks and among researchers more generally.