posted 11-14-2001 12:14               

Trusted Employees Innovate More

If innovation often leads to success, why do businesses struggle to achieve it? One reason may be lack of trust in the workplace. Distrust makes employees unhappy, uncooperative, and guarded; in contrast, trust catalyzes creativity, critical thinking, and collaboration. Although many managers understand the importance of trust, they may not realize how frequently workers feel betrayed by their bosses or coworkers or how these feelings erode collaboration and creativity. Some consider developing trust a luxury compared to more pressing issues; others find trust-building efforts largely unsuccessful.

In their book "Trust and Betrayal in the Workplace: Building Effective Relationships in Your Organization" (Berrett-Koehler, 1999), Dennis S. Reina and Michelle L. Reina observe that managers often lack the skills to establish "transactional" trust: involving others in decision-making; managing expectations and delegating appropriately; and telling the truth, sharing information, and speaking with integrity. Even "unintentional minor betrayals," such as gossip and backbiting, weaken transactional trust and undermine workers' initiative, commitment, and willingness to share knowledge.

If distrust is the norm in your organization, the first step is to promote individual and collective healing. For people to move on, they need more than acknowledgement of the perceived betrayal; they must surface feelings, reframe the experience to learn from it, take responsibility for their role in what happened, and forgive themselves and others. Then, the business needs to build what the authors call "transformational" trust through relationship-based management practices. Through such practices, people learn to collaborate in ways that ultimately lead to superior organizational performance.

Source: Beata Lewis, "Trust and Betrayal," Mediate.com

posted 11-21-2001 10:35               

I read with interest your article on “Trusted Employees.” I can't help but disagree with you. I am 67 years old. I have been in the work force for over 40 years. I think “trust” has about as much to do with business success as the weather. It boggles my mind to think that an entire book was devoted to this topic. I have found throughout the years that organizations thrive in spite of the poor managers. 99% of the work force wants to do a good job and will do so because of 1. a good work ethic instilled from childhood. 2. a good role model in the form of a mother, father, neighbor, etc. 3. the need to survive. 4. the need to keep up with everyone else in the work force, who is productive in spite of a poor manager, and, 5. they are professionals and realize that their view of a manager is from their perspective and “frame of reference.”

The ideas of trust, creativity, and teamwork are all blown out of proportion in relation to the success of a company or business. To me, the single most important aspect of a company's success is to have clearly defined goals, let your employees know, in clear terms, what those goals are, their roles and how you expect to get there: with their help. If all other things are fairly equal like pay, benefits, etc. then, they will perform as expected. Managers, to be effective, only need to keep those same objectives in mind. How they act daily towards employees is of little or no consequence. They need to stay within the broad arc of the pendulum and not go to the extremes.

Poor management is in many ways beneficial to the company because it doesn't plant seeds in the minds of employees. The treadmill is a continuum on which to build. The poor manager in all likelihood will be replaced by one of his own kind which will lend continuity to the status quo. Employees with creative ideas will be viewed as “not in step with the goals of the company.” The manager will set the pace and will show his/her superiors only that which will make him/her look good. I have witnessed a bevy of inept managers and they have all survived to be promoted because they chose never to “rock the boat.” “Trust” regarding employees is the LAST thing they would ever consider. “Transformational” in businesses really refers to the act of a manager deceiving his/her superiors into viewing only that which he/she wants them to view. I truly believe that companies and businesses will survive as long as they stay within the parameters of basic common sense; which is subject to everyone's own perspective and frame of reference. In other words, it too, can be challenged.