Ron Burt, University of Chicago

My premise is that understanding trust beyond a network is essential to enhancing creativity and achievement within the network. I build on three anchor results (anchor results are strong, robust empirical results likely to be found in quality research): (1) Network brokers are more creative and successful than other people. (2) Returns to network brokerage are contingent on broker reputation in a target market – poor reputation means poor returns to brokerage. (3) Trust and reputation are facilitated and maintained in densely-connected, closed networks. But brokers usually operate outside the network around a target audience, so they operate beyond reputation governance within the network. Our wireless world has us each more aware of how we and our friends are different from people beyond our network. Much of what we see and hear, we do not like. Intolerance and abuse of people beyond our network is the fundamental issue targeted here. I use well-established network theory to predict “trust reversal:” The conditions that encourage trust and cooperation within a network have a by-product; they reverse to encourage suspicion and abuse beyond the network. Successful people are especially prone to the bias. Initial results are intriguingly supportive.