Organisational Member Trust Scale

What it measures

Six items measure the degree to which a member of an organisation trusts how that organisation treats its members. The scale covers three facets of trust: competence (the organisation handles inquiries and responds to information requests effectively), benevolence (the organisation cares about members and can be relied on to deliver valued benefits), and problem-solving (the organisation is flexible and responsive in addressing member concerns and complaints). The name of the focal organisation should be placed in the scale stem blank.

Scale items

• competently handles most inquiries from members like myself.
• efficiently responds to most questions and requests for information.
• cares about the needs/wants of its members.
• can be relied upon to provide valued member benefits.
• goes out of the way to address member concerns.
• is flexible in resolving member complaints.

Full scale items shown. Always cite the original source when using this scale in research.

Usage notes & scoring

Developed by Marinova and Singh (2014) following Sirdeshmukh, Singh, and Sabol's (2002) tripartite trust framework, with two items per dimension (competence, benevolence, problem-solving). Although the scale reflects three theoretical sub-components, the authors treated it as a unidimensional composite in their analyses. Researchers wishing to preserve dimensionality should assess the three-factor structure before collapsing. Data were collected from 1,298 members of a zoological society -- a not-for-profit, membership-based context. Generalisation to commercial service subscriptions or B2B relationships should be validated. Composite reliability of .95 and AVE of .75 both indicate excellent psychometric quality.

Citation

Marinova, D., & Singh, J. (2014). Consumer decision to upgrade or downgrade a service membership. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 42(6), 596-618.

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