In Trusted Partners: How Companies Build Mutual Trust and Win Together, Jordan D. Lewis writes:

Trust is at the heart of today’s knowledge economy. With trust as a foundation, companies or groups within companies can share their know-how to achieve results that exceed the sum of the parts. Unlike formal contracts or rigid hierarchies, trust frees partners to respond to the unexpected, which is essential for mutual creativity. Trust also fosters enthusiasm, ensuring the best performance from everyone. Rather than being a matter of blind-faith, trust must be constructed, one step at a time. Building trust is all-encompassing. It involves people, politics, priorities, cultures, and structures.