Expectations and Satisfaction in Trust-based Relationships

This paper investigates the relationship between an actor’s initial expectations of cooperation and commitment from their partner and the actor’s subsequent level of satisfaction with the relationship. Drawing from Oliver’s research on expectation disconfirmation (1977, 1980) the authors suggest that the signals of cooperation and commitment the partner displays prior to the relationship are negatively related to the actor’s subsequent satisfaction with the relationship. The same partner’s trustworthiness during the relationship, however, should be positively related to the actor’s satisfaction. Empirical findings from a sample of 113 international joint ventures in East Asia support our hypotheses.