The Development of Trust in Work Teams: The Impact of Touch

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between the nonverbal behavior of touch as used in the context of an experiential (adventure) training intervention and its impact on trust among members of work teams. Twelve teams from eleven different industries (N=126), participated in a one-day team building training. Three matched sample groups (existing work teams that were demographically similar) were compared in three similar training interventions (with the exception of the touch dimension). The experimental groups (human touch and object touch) participated in adventure team building training programs. The control group participated in a no-touch team building training program. Participants took pre, post and post-post tests (with two instruments) to measure the behavioral change in trust among the team members four (4) weeks back on the job. The results partially support the hypothesis that physical touch significantly and positively impacts trust among members of work teams in the context of an adventure training when compared with no-touch work teams in the same context and that there are significant differences in the impact of touch on trust between men and women.