Trust has become a hot topic, as evidenced by the number of business books published recently on the subject. Obviously, the question of trust is as old as mankind, because without trust there are no sustainable personal or business relationships. Indeed, trust is a necessary basis for any professional activity, business or transaction.
However, in recent years, largely due to social networks, the world has become polarized, lack of trust is widespread, and conspiracies flourish. Regardless of political views, polls show that in most democracies, the majority of the population doesn't trust their leaders. As businesses are an integral part of global society, it is reasonable to assume that some of these trends have found their way into the corporate world, and therefore lack of trust is likely to hit the corporate world.
At the same time, our era is characterized by a very fast-moving and even chaotic world, and for businesses, the need for rapid change. The question we want to ask is: how do you drive change in an environment where trust is collapsing everywhere?
Interestingly, trust is not just a philosophical concept, but something whose benefits in the business world can be scientifically measured. Paul Zak's research shows that companies with high levels of trust are statistically associated with many positive and tangible benefits, including less stress, more energy and engagement, higher productivity and performance, less burnout, and greater satisfaction with their lives.
Trust in times of change
In times of change, trust plays out in very specific ways. Here are five areas where trust makes a difference.We present each separately, although they are systemically linked (see diagram)
If you don't trust your leaders when they present a new project or change program, engagement and buy-in will be lower, especially if the project is challenging or if the benefits, drawbacks, or losses vary by stakeholder.
Implementing something new requires collective effort and performance. Collaboration also requires trust among stakeholders.
Implementing change means trying new things. The obvious consequence is that teams have to face new situations, new challenges, unexpected problems. And they need to keep faith in the project and their ability to overcome these problems, they need to be able to count on others for support and to co-construct solutions. The ability to adapt on the fly, to be hyper-agile, to be resilient, is all the more necessary when the environment is chaotic. All of this requires trust in yourself, your teams and colleagues, your boss, your organization, and your stakeholders.
Only when you can rely on yourself and others can you accept a higher level of risk, which is essential in any innovation or creative process. Trust increases risk acceptance, which in turn allows for greater agility and adaptability.
Trust fosters open communication, which is a prerequisite for the collective intelligence needed to find solutions to difficult and complex situations.
For all these reasons, we strongly recommend that trust be considered and worked on as a key leverage in any change management effort. The cycle can be virtuous or vicious. You need trust to change, and the change process itself can increase or decrease the level of trust, depending on how it's managed. According to the situation and the stakeholders, we may recommend that a minimum level of trust be achieved before a change program is initiated. In other cases, trust is built throughout the change process. In all cases, we suggest that you keep trust at the top of your agenda.
The question is, how do you build trust? In fact, you cannot impose or create trust. You can, however, create the conditions that foster trust.
5 Dimensions of Trust
Inspired by the business literature on the subject (see bibliography below), we have developed our own synthesis based on five dimensions of trust. Our goal was not to conduct a scientific survey or to elicit independent dimensions of trust. It was to identify actionable levers that make a difference in times of change management.
Let's take a quick look at these five dimensions:
Expertise & Good Judgment: To trust a stakeholder or leader, you need to believe that they have not only the knowledge and expertise, but also the ability to analyze and make quick and wise decisions. You want them to be able to come up with powerful solutions or to catalyze a collective process of creating relevant options, depending on their leadership style. It is interesting to note that there are two sides to this leverage. On the one hand, there is the professional development of the leader throughout his or her career. On the other hand, it's about the perception that others have of the leader's expertise or good judgment. Perception management can be seen as leverage, especially when we know that some leaders are much more modest about their accomplishments and expertise than others.
Ethics & Integrity: We tend to trust a leader when their behavior is consistent with ethics and integrity, meaning that they maintain a moral compass under all circumstances and do not use the system for their own profit. Of course, it is also about walking the talk and having behaviors that are seen as evidence of integrity.
Authentic Relations refer to the quality of the relationship between the leader and teams, peers, or stakeholders. We can invoke the concept of "intimacy" in transactional analysis. Are people in the organization able to share at a deeper level where they do not have to hide their intentions, challenges, or emotions? Do managers and leaders engage in deep human interaction beyond simple conversations about goals and KPIs?
Accepting Vulnerability means letting go of ego and some layers of protection to express doubts, questions or challenges. It makes it possible to face the real challenges, to benefit from support, to engage in creativity and collective intelligence. It is also a prerequisite for taking risks and engaging in new ways. For the team, it requires a safe environment. For the leader, it requires the ability to say that you don't know yet or that the situation is tricky. Paradoxically, one of the most empowering "vulnerabilities" for a leader is to trust their teams in challenging times, because trusting others means that you may be disappointed or even betrayed. To that extent, trust is a vulnerability.
For Intention & Benefits, the question is: to what extent are interactions based on mutual benefit? It is about balance, relevance and fairness. It is about considering all stakeholders and their interests. The principle is quite simple, but its implementation is not always consistent. We encourage those implementing change to systematically map stakeholders at both the technical and the perceptual level, and to ensure that the resulting benefits and losses are considered for all.
Conclusion
Exploring trust in times of change underscores its critical role, especially in an era marked by rapid change and a general lack of trust. Trust is not just an abstract concept, but a tangible asset that can be measured and cultivated, with significant implications for organizational success and individual well-being.
As we guide organizations through their change management program, we address five key dimensions of trust - Expertise & Judgment, Ethics & Integrity, Authentic Relations, Vulnerability, and Intention & Benefit - each of which can be actively managed and enhanced to foster a culture of trust within organizations.
In a world where trust is often in short supply, organizations must prioritize its development as a strategic imperative. Whether building trust before embarking on change initiatives or nurturing it throughout the transformation process, keeping trust at the forefront of organizational priorities is essential. By doing so, organizations can more effectively navigate the complexities of change and foster innovation, adaptability, and sustainable growth.
Ultimately, trust is both a foundation and a catalyst for successful change management, and its intentional cultivation can transform challenges into opportunities, driving collective success in an ever-evolving landscape.
Bibliography
The 10 laws of trust, by Joël Peterson
The Book of Trust, by Yoram Salomon
The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, by Patrick Lencioni
The Four Factor of Trust, by Ashley Reichheld & Amelia Dunlop
The future is Trust, by Rick Kitiga & Lisa Lambert
The power of Trust, How Companies Build It, Lose It, Regain It, by Sandra J Sucher & Shalene Gupta
The power of Trust: How Top Companies Build, Manage and Protect It, by Natalie Doyle Oldfield
The Speed of Trust, The One Thing That Changes Everything" by Stephen M.R. Covey
The Thin Book of Trust, by Charles Feltman
The Trifecta of Trust by Joseph R. Folkman
The Trust Equation, Charles H. Green
Trust & Inspire, by Stephen M.R Covey
Trust Works, by Ken Blanchard
Trust: The Secret Weapon of Effective Business Leaders, by Kathy Bloomgarden
Trusted Leader: 8 Pillars That Drive Results By: David Horsager
This article was written by Antoine Bebe, with some artificial intelligence input
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