Abstract: High initial trust is needed in new organizational relationships which are becoming more and more common and frequent. Initial trust could be predicated on some factors, i.e., disposition to trust and resource status of trustor, group membership and organizational role of trustee, third-party relationship and organizational features, which might reduce the risk of decision making. The further development of trust, perceived breach of psychological contract, cooperation, work attitudes, OCB and performance, were influenced by initial trust level. Finally, the research orientation in Chinese context is suggested

Key words: interpersonal trust, initial trust, cognitive shortcut, third-party relationships, organizational psychology