Abstract

This paper attempted to explore the plausible reasons why change activities to build up organizational trust might be often short-lived, even though it can become the most valuable social capital for an organization. Based upon a reference data collected from a large company in various methods, retrospective rationalization, difficulties embedded in the processes of realizing the five bases of organizational trust (such as openness, consistence, fairness, consideration, and pride), and top management's negative conviction were identified and discussed as fundamental reasons for the distrust in the usefulness of organizational trust. In addition, middle managers' overcautiousness about their superiors' feeling and organizational cynicism as contributing factors for the distrust in the form of vicious circle were discussed.