EV-0007
Trust between teammates predicts team performance — and matters most where people depend on each other
De Jong, B. A., Dirks, K. T., & Gillespie, N. (2016). Journal of Applied Psychology, 101(8), 1134–1150 · Source
What this entitles us to say
Across 112 studies covering 7,763 teams, trust between team members related to team performance at ρ = .30 — a relationship that survived controlling for trust in the leader and for past team performance, and that was strongest where members' tasks were highly interdependent.
What it found
112 independent studies, 7,763 teams. Intrateam trust related to team performance at ρ = .30. The relationship held after controlling for the team's trust in its leader and for past team performance, and across cognitive and affective dimensions of trust. It was moderated by task interdependence, authority differentiation and skill differentiation.
Why it matters here
Two things.
It answers the strongest objection. "Teams that are already succeeding trust each other — you're measuring success, not trust." Controlling for past performance is exactly that test, and the relationship survived it.
And it tells us who this is worth most to. Trust pays hardest where people's work is genuinely interlocked — a production line, a shift handover, a crew. That is precisely the frontline workforce this product is built for, which is a real and defensible targeting argument rather than a slogan.
The limits
Still correlational. And the moderator finding cuts both ways commercially: if trust matters most under high task interdependence, then the value of this work is genuinely larger in some organizations than others. We should say that rather than imply a uniform benefit.
What we do not say
that trust delivers the same return in every organization. This research says it does not.