How to Build and Maintain Trust
How to Build and Maintain Trust
Trust Matters Most
Trust. You know when you feel it and notice when it's missing. But what exactly is trust, and how can you define it practically in your workplace? How do you nurture and grow the trust you have? Can you build trust where it's lacking? These are essential questions, especially in our rapidly changing world.
Trust is the foundation for effective communication, employee retention, motivation, and discretionary energy—that invaluable extra effort people willingly invest in their work. When trust thrives in an organization or relationship, almost everything becomes more accessible and achievable.
A Definition of Trust
When reading about trust, many definitions exist that purportedly describe it in understandable ways—but don't. Trust is a valuable and critical quality in building a relationship—personal and business relationships depend on it.
But what is trust, how can you build trust, and how can you be sure that you and those you work with are trustworthy?
A recent, comprehensive definition of trust in Psychology Today suggests it is a complex construct involving cognitive and emotional components. It's a complex process that includes a sense of confidence and security in the trustworthiness of others, not just predicting their behavior. Trust is context-specific, combining rational assessments and emotional responses.
In Psychology Today, Paul Thagard, Ph. D., points out that mistrust isn't just about predicting negative behavior; it's an emotional response involving dislike and fear that affects how we perceive others.
He says, "Mistrust is an emotional process that goes far beyond the estimation of low probabilities about people doing what they are supposed to. It also requires representation of the self, the person mistrusted, and the relevant aspect, but it differs from trust in assigning negative emotions akin to dislike and fear."
The Three Constructs of Trust
Duane C. Tway, Jr., Ph.D., outlines three constructs of trust:
Capacity for trusting: You need life experiences to develop trust. If your parents and teachers were untrustworthy, you might have a low capacity for trust—no one else has been trustworthy, so why should you trust this business partner?
Perception of competence: A person can be honest, but you cannot trust them if they are incompetent. Likewise, it would help if you could do the work at hand. To experience trust, you must trust that a person can do the job effectively.
Perception of intentions: How do people perceive your actions, words, direction, and mission? Are they self-serving, or do they benefit everyone involved? Trust is unlikely if others see you as self-serving.
Why Trust Is Critical in a Healthy Organization
Would you go to work every day if you were wondering if you'd get paid on time? Would you hire someone if you doubted they'd show up for work? Trust is foundational for success. You need to trust the people within your organization to be successful so that you can experience success, too.
This is why bullying wreaks havoc in a company; you can't trust a bully's intentions and that what they say to you is true. A lack of trust creates a miserable environment.
Micromanagers operate with low levels of trust. They do not believe their employees can accomplish anything without checking on them frequently and giving guidance. Under micromanagement, employees quickly become miserable.
The critical component in all these issues is trust.
Even in trustworthy organizations, misunderstandings or mistakes can erode trust. For instance, if an employee misinterprets a communication or a customer order is misplaced, trust can falter—even without dishonest intentions. And if a business owner files for bankruptcy, it raises questions: Is this action a lack of trustworthiness or just bad luck?
What Injures the Trust Relationship?
Building a strong trust relationship is difficult if people do not understand your intentions. Keeping your rationale and intentions hidden can lead to mistrust.
People who have had bad experiences before joining your organization may find building trust challenging. It may take years of steady, performed-as-expected behavior to build trusting relationships. And after you do that, one wrong or dishonest decision (or misunderstood decision) can destroy that trust you worked so hard to build.
Many organizations struggle with trust issues. Employees may distrust management, and management may need to trust employees, creating a tense and unproductive workplace.
The Critical Role of the Leader in Trust Relationships
Kurt T. Dirks, now Dean of the University of Utah - David Eccles School of Business, studied the impact of trust on college basketball team success. After surveying the players on 30 teams, he determined that players on successful teams were more likely to trust their coach.
He found that players on winning basketball teams trusted their coach's knowledge, intentions, and reliability. While this trust was vital in successful team leadership, it wasn't necessarily considered vital for teammates to trust each other.
Paul J. Zak, in The Neuroscience of Trust, in the Harvard Business Review, found that compared with people at low-trust companies, people at high-trust companies report experiencing 74% less stress, 106% more energy at work, 50% higher productivity, 13% fewer sick days, 76% more engagement, 29% more satisfaction with their lives, and 40% less burnout. (What's not to love?)
Zak said, "In my research, I've found that building a culture of trust is what makes a meaningful difference. Employees in high-trust organizations are more productive, have more energy at work, collaborate better with their colleagues, and stay with their employers longer than people working at low-trust companies."
In another study, C. Ken Weidner, who has served as an Assistant Professor of Management at Saint Joseph's University in Philadelphia since 2000, findings suggest several implications for organizational performance and adaptation.
Weidner found that a manager's skill in developing relationships that reduce or eliminate distrust positively impacts employee turnover. He believes that turnover may result from organizations failing to draw people in. He also found that trust in the supervisor is associated with better individual performance.
Build a Trust Relationship Over Time
Trust is built and maintained by many small actions over time. Consistency in honesty and reliability in small matters builds the foundation for trust in more significant issues.
Marsha Sinetar wisely said, "Trust is not a matter of technique, but character; we are trusted because of our way of being, not because of our polished exteriors or expertly crafted communications." A single lapse can significantly damage the relationship of trust.
In conclusion, trust is the cornerstone of any successful organization. It's the foundation for effective communication, employee retention, and overall organizational health.
Building and maintaining trust requires honesty, authenticity, and consistent actions. This simple yet profound truth is the heart of creating a positive and productive work environment.