Evolution of Trust in Distributed Software Development Teams: A Punctuated Equilibrium Model

A significant body of literature has addressed trust in distributed teams; however the issues of 1) trust in distributed software development teams, 2) the evolution of trust, and 3) the role of communication media in trust development; have not been adequately addressed. The objective of this paper is to examine the evolution of cognitive trust, and to test a hypothesized model using pilot data from distributed US-Norway software development teams. This study contributes to the rich body of trust literature by integrating research on trust and team development, and by identifying the role played by communication media on trust development. It also contributes to practice by identifying stages in a software development project during which managerial intervention can help elevate trust levels.