Effect of Work Setting on Team Member's Propensity to Trust: A Comparative Study

The purpose of this quantitative comparative study was to determine if, and to what extent, there were differences to the propensity to trust in information technology individual team members based on their work setting when covarying for years of experience. The theoretical foundations comprised the social presence theory and the quantum of trust theory. The data were gathered from 208 individuals in the information technology community with at least two years' experience. The research questions queried were to determine is there a difference in an information technology team member's propensity to trust based on work setting and is there a difference in an information technology team member's propensity to trust based on work setting when covarying for years of experience. The methodology used was quantitative with a comparative design. The validated instrument used to gather the data was the Propensity to Trust Scale survey. The data was analyzed using the one-way ANOVA and ANCOVA tests. The determination based on the data analysis tests indicated there was no significant difference in an information technology team member's propensity to trust based on work setting [F (2, 205) = 2.156, p = 0.118]. There was no significant difference in an information technology team member's propensity to trust based on work setting when covarying for years of experience [F (2, 205) = 2.273, p = 0.106]. The implication of the study counteracted existing research in that there was no evidence of a difference in propensity to trust in the virtual work setting as compared to the onsite and hybrid work settings. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]