Bob Knowlton Case - a Socio-Cognitive Model of Trust Using

Joy Bartlett

Case 2 – Bob Knowlton

INTRODUCTION

        In this case we see Bob Knowlton and his laboratory get introduced to a new researcher named Fester.  Bob seems insecure about Fester’s knowledge and abilities but does not voice his concerns to his boss Dr. Jerold.

DESCRIPTION

        Bob and Dr. Jerold are both guilty of having poor communication, which is a key element to building trust in a group environment.  Bob is also guilty of not having the self confidence or management skills to lead the group, while feeling threatened or inferior to Fester.  I think the root of the problem though is that Dr. Jerold did not properly communicate his intentions for Fester to Bob.  If Bob had known that Fester was only on his team for a limited term and he was not at risk of losing his job, then he might have felt more confident towards Fester.  Bob should have had trust in Dr. Jerold not to side line him for Fester.

        If the level of communication between Bob and Dr. Jerold was at a level of mutual trust and they had both voiced their concerns, plans, and intentions then nothing would have led to Bob acting out of fear the way he did.  Bob’s move was driven out of fear of losing his position and his work to Fester.  But because Dr. Jerold had never communicated any of his plans for Fester, it left Bob feeling threatened and fearful for his career.

THEORY

In the cognitive model of trust can include “the reasoning process addressed by the agents concerning the extent to which they trust the other information sources leads to the emergence not only of conflicts among the information but also of conflicts among the sources. “(Villata, Boella, Gabbay, & van der Torre, 2013)  In this case, there was no trust behind Dr. Jerold’s and Bob’s relationship, which lead to a conflict due to lack of information, due to lack of communication.  The communication broke down due to a lack of trust.  In order to lead a group, one must facilitate reciprocal trust and open communication, neither Dr. Jerold or Bob did either.  Dr. Jerold should have been more open and communicative with Bob.  Bob should have been more open and communicated with his team and also with Dr. Jerold.  The lack of trust and communication not only cost Bob his career and a job he loved, but also did the research lab a huge disservice by leaving it with no lead or direction.