ABSTRACT
It is through interaction and communication that we are able to establish the trustworthiness of our fellow project participants. Trust, or the lack of it, underpins both personal and business relationships and according to Brenkert (1998) allows organisations to reduce transaction costs, share sensitive information and engage in joint projects. In a work environment relationships are governed by money and power, or more specifically the distribution of resources. This is common to organisations and TPOs. Tensions manifest as individuals seek to control resources and exercise power to their, or their organisations’, mutual advantage. Although it might be convenient to ignore such struggles, and hence distort our understanding of the situation, it should be recognised that this creates tension between individuals and groups, which has a habit of surfacing in times of crisis.
