Trust plays an important role in Responsive Regulation Theory (RRT). This study is critical about RRT as processes of trust building and repair are underplayed. Too little attention is paid to interpersonal and reflexive competencies and RRT assumes no influence of regulator generalized (dis)trust in regulatees.
RRT proposes that trust is important in regulatory relations as it fosters voluntary compliance. This study supports that proposition. But trust in regulatory relations does not necessarily occur naturally. It needs to be built and maintained. And since trouble in work relations is inevitable (Six & Skinner, 2010), trust may also need to be repaired at some point in time.
For trust to be built effectively and trust repair to have a chance, interpersonal and reflexive competencies for both regulator and regulatee are important (Six & Sorge, 2008). RRT appears to assume that the regulator has the interpersonal and reflexive competencies to choose the appropriate strategies within the pyramid and communicate clearly with regulatees. Mascini and van Wijk (2009) showed that these assumptions do not always hold empirically. In terms of regulatee competencies, attention is paid to the compliance related competencies (Winter & May 2001), but not to interpersonal and reflexive competencies. Again, Mascini and van Wijks’s research showed the relevance of these competencies. Furthermore, motivational postures and general propensity to trust the other actor are important in trust building. For regulatees this is acknowledged in Braithwaite’s motivational postures (2009) with disengagement resembling generalized distrust of government. For regulators, however, this is not problematized. RRT assumes no influence of regulator generalized trust or distrust towards regulatees.
Effective responsive regulation is hard work because trust building and maintenance is hard work, in whatever relationship. The conditions surrounding many regulatory relations may make it even harder to effectively build and maintain trust where warranted.
