Developing trust between partners in collaborative R&D projects

Within the strategic alliance and the open innovation (OI) literature, it is acknowledged that trust leads to more effective collaborative behavior among individuals, groups, and organizations. Notwithstanding, little attention has been paid so far as to what managers can do in order to enhance the likelihood of building trust with partners. In this chapter, we address the development of trust in a collaborative R&D context, using 5 case studies of both small and large firms from three different countries. Based on a pattern provided by these cases, we build a guide to start relating to a partner in a collaborative R&D project. The central factors stimulating the creation of trust is social exchange and proximity, factors that warrant more detailed study