Does trust matter? Within the past two years the economic crisis has called public and scientific attention to a phenomenon that had been under estimated for years. It could be well defined as ‘No trust - no trade!’ In 2008, in preparation for an empirical analysis, research data were collected (prior to the crisis) to analyse the concept of ‘Inter-personal trust in management ’. The intention was to find a reliable and valid description of the concept of trust in management in organizations. Recent research suggested that trust is not a onedimensional concept but implies an interaction of several dimensions. Furthermore, this paper was aimed to clarify how trust in management develops on a time scale, depending on either the age of the employees or on the staff membership. Another question was posed how trust in management is affected by hierarchical structures of the employees within companies. Probably the lifelong learning process involves individual, uncertain judgements based on intuitive im pressions. It is always an uncertain judgment and a biased decision to trust someone. Trust is specific. It depends on the situation, the person, the place, the culture, and time. Within the framework of this thesis the concept of ‘Trust in management’ was elaborated for the business situation. The study was based upon a survey of three hundred and fourteen participa ting companies in Germany. The sample included more than thirty-seven thousand participants from twelve industrial sectors. Starting from an employee’s perspective it has been shown that ‘trustful and successful management’ is the result of an interaction of three dimensions: (1) the individual’s recognition as a person, not just as an employee; (2) the managers' competences; and, (3) the managers’ ethical behaviour. These three dimensions are important for trust in management, as well as for the business success of companies. Besides having shown significant relationshi ps between each of the three factors of the trust concept it accounted for approximately seventy percent of the data variance of trust in management. In this sense the awareness of the three dimensions is a necessity for a trust-based and sustainable, successful, business culture. Trustful leadership thus has to acknowledge the employee with his values and abilities as well as to appreciate the person as unique. the trust concept it accounted for approximately seventy percent of the data variance of trust in management. In this sense the awareness of the three dimensions is a necessity for a trust-based and sustainable, successful, business culture. Trustful leadership thus has to acknowledge the employee with his values and abilities as well as to appreciate the person as unique.