The DOI matches its Crossref record; 177 of the 177 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
How Can It Be Made Right Again? A Review of Trust Repair Research
Abstract
We review research on the topic of trust repair, which has proceeded over the past four decades using three different philosophical mechanisms that provide the bases through which trust is restored by multiple repair tactics. We base our definition of trust repair on the view that trust is “a psychological state comprising the intention to accept vulnerability based on the positive expectations of the intentions or behaviors of another.” We define trust repair as any increase in trust above the post-transgression level and complete repair as an increase in trust to the pre-transgression level. We provide an overview of the research designs incorporated in the trust-repair literature and make recommendations and cautions in measuring trust repair. We then summarize the emergence of the different mechanisms behind trust repair, namely, attributional, social equilibrium, and structural mechanisms, and review literature on the related verbal and behavioral repair tactics that can be employed after a transgression. We also provide a review on the process of trust repair, that is, the different stages that unfold to repair trust. We conclude by suggesting that future research should explore trust repair not only from an isolated tactics perspective but also from a broader pathway perspective. Finally, as trust repair occurs over time, future research should also explore the role of differing perceptions of time in the trust-repair process.
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“Their impact on a user's decision to continue using the system may be limited, especially when enacted by a non-human agent (Lewicki & Brinsfield, 2017;Sharma et al., 2023).”
From Explainability in AI: Comparing Human-Like and System-Like Trust Repair Strategies (2026) · cites this paper as Sharma et al., 2023
In the citing paper
“Prior research indicates that trust repair strategy effectiveness is context-dependent”
From Explainability in AI: Comparing Human-Like and System-Like Trust Repair Strategies (2026) · cites this paper as Sharma et al., 2023
In the citing paper
“Despite the intuitive appeal and growing organizational adoption of such hybrid approaches, strategy combinations have so far received little attention in trust repair research”
From Explainability in AI: Comparing Human-Like and System-Like Trust Repair Strategies (2026) · cites this paper as Sharma et al., 2023
Citations
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“Locus, stability, and controllability of the cause of transgression influence the degree and nature of blame placed on the trustee, which in turn impacts the affect felt by the trustor and the expectancy of future transgression by the trustee (Weiner, 1985, 1988).”
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Cited by
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Items 101–117 of 117
Moving Forward from the Sins of the Past: Navigating the Bumpy Road to Institutional Redemption
Bies, R. J., Tripp, T. M., Barclay, L. J., & Walshe, N. D. (2026) · Journal of Management Inquiry · doi:10.1177/10564926261466942
An Interpersonal Application of Fresh Starts in the Context of Trust Repair
Lee, J. I. (2026) · Canadian Journal of Administrative Sciences / Revue Canadienne des Sciences de l Administration · doi:10.1002/cjas.70083
Vesper, D., & König, C. J. (2026) · Journal of Management · doi:10.1177/01492063261466952
Datta, S. (2026) · International Journal of Energy Sector Management · doi:10.1108/ijesm-08-2025-0028
From Workplace Hurdles to Solitary Tendencies: Unraveling the Mediating Role of Psychological Strain
Wu, Z., Bari, M. W., & Raza, N. (2026) · Journal of Experimental Psychopathology · doi:10.1177/20438087261478962
Trust in the Gray: A Qualitative Study of Trust and Repair in Gray Markets
Shepherd, D. A., Parida, V., Colquitt, J. A., & Wincent, J. (2026) · Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice · doi:10.1177/10422587261470049
Justice and Trust Repair in Organizational Decision Systems
Ricci, P., Luca, M. D., Ferraro, G., & Russo, A. (2026) · Journal of Applied Organizational Systems and Behavior · doi:10.51847/1tichauvwh
Leading With CARE in the Age of AI
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Sabotaging trust: how deception, gaslighting and self-sabotaging behavior erode institutional trust
Mcilveene, T. R., Davis, M. M., Scott, J., & LeMay, S. A. (2026) · Society and Business Review · doi:10.1108/sbr-05-2025-0215
How Firms’ Violations of Integrity Influence Employee Evaluations
Son, H. E. S., Donnelly, R., & Noorderhaven, N. (2026) · Journal of Business Ethics · doi:10.1007/s10551-026-06453-y
Restoring Trust in Marital Relationships. A Theoretical and Analytical Review
Dubovskikh, Y. V., & Александровна, Ч. В. (2026) · Herald of Omsk University Series Psychology · doi:10.24147/2410-6364.2026.1.73-82
Musyaffa, M. N., Ghifari, M. F. A., & Prakoso, G. H. (2026) · International Conference on ICT for Smart Society (ICISS) · doi:10.1109/iciss71466.2026.11715031
Xu, P., & Zhan, C. (2026) · Environmental Hazards · doi:10.1080/17477891.2026.2749788
Only When All is Good: The Fragility of Reputation After Wrongdoing
Cheng, Z., Kammerer, K., Karadag, R., & Poppo, L. (2026) · Corporate Reputation Review · doi:10.1057/s41299-026-00273-6
Qin, X., ZHANG, S., Hu, Y., & Zhou, J. (2026) · Journal of Asian Public Policy · doi:10.1080/17516234.2026.2751161
Metadata
- Authors
- Sharma, K., Schoorman, F. D., & Ballinger, G. A.
- Affiliations
- Purdue University West Lafayette (US)
- University of Virginia (US)
- Corresponding author
- Sharma, Kinshuk
- Venue
- Journal of Management
- Publisher
- SAGE Publications
- Published
- 2022-04-27
- Volume
- 49
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 363-399
- ISSN
- 0149-2063 (ISSN-L)
- 1557-1211
- OpenAlex
- W4293187084
- Cited by
- 117
- References
- 177
- Citations by year
- 2026: 38 · 2025: 35 · 2024: 33 · 2023: 10 · 2022: 1
- FWCI
- 18.66
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Journal of Management (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Forgiveness and Related Behaviors
- Social Sciences › Business, Management and Accounting › Marketing › Customer Service Quality and Loyalty
- Social Sciences › Business, Management and Accounting › Organizational Behavior and Human Resource Management › Job Satisfaction and Organizational Behavior
- Keywords
- trust repair, transgression, structural mechanisms, trust measurement, time perception, interpersonal trust
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