The Effects of Affective Trust and Suspicion in New Product Development Projects

Relationships between functional specialists working on NPD projects can lack trust, resulting in poor communication, low levels of co-operation, and, the extreme, political sabotage projects. We empirically test a hypothesized model managerial perceptions motives and intentions, negative project politics, affect-based as well their effect dysfunctional conflict defensive behaviors, with subsequent collaboration success. Data were from 184 technically trained manager perspective, 145 marketing perspective. find that, despite all process improvement use integration methods, level interactions are still fundamentally relationally-based, where strongest effects cross-functional behavior motives, leading to behaviors politics interfering On positive note, while evident trust leads success, it is far more important for managers. The implications top management lie structuring organizational processes that trust-rich, order avoid opportunity distrust suspicion arise.