A considerable body of knowledge has been accumulated regarding the effects of participation, but little research has dealt with the effects of participation in the development of a measurement system. This research tests the effect of participation on the development of a workshop evaluation process by identifying trust as a key variable and quantifying the effect of participation on trust. (In this research, a workshop evaluation process is considered to be a type or example of a measurement system.) The researcher believed to the extent participation in the development of a workshop evaluation process contributed to the amount of information a participant had regarding the system and to a feeling of commitment and control on the part of the participant, positive effects of participation would generalize to others areas and lead to an increase in trust.

During the study, fourteen workshop leaders were divided into a control and treatment group. The treatment group participated in an one-hour session to develop the workshop evaluation form; the control group did not. All participants were surveyed on trust after the workshop evaluation form was used to evaluate each presentation.

No significant differences in trust of the workshop evaluation process, other workshop leaders, or the people who managed the workshop evaluation process were found between the control and treatment group participants. The attenuation of the data was attributed to the small sample size, short length of participation, and questions regarding the validity of the trust instrument.