ABSTRACT
Trust plays a crucial part in many facets of life, including politics, business, sport, friendship, love, marriage and, indeed, all human relationships. Trust appears to be a critical precondition for success in most human endeavours involving more than one person. Trust can typically appear as a social construct or a psychological belief and may often touch on ethical, personal or organisational values. The issue of trust evokes deeply held practical as well as philosophical contradictions and paradoxes. The implication of the paradox is that trust requires a leap of faith that obliges one side to give the benefit of the doubt to a relatively unknown and ‘unproven’ person. In order to build stronger relationships and achieve through greater partnerships and alliances, one must embrace new and untested opportunities, thereby exposing oneself to potentially fresh vulnerabilities. Effort is not proportional to achievement; instead it depends on the stage of the relationship.
