Factors that leaders should manage to encourage trust

I’ve just finished reading an interesting Harvard Business Review article “The Decision to Trust (HBR OnPoint Enhanced Edition)“>The Decision to Trust” by Robert F. Hurley. The article discusses a model that leaders can use to predict if others will choose to trust of distrust them. The model is based on ten factors that affect people and their decision to trust another person. The model divides the ten factor into two dimensions.

Decision-Maker Factors

This dimension contains the factors that affects a “truster” and their disposition to trust another person.

• Risk Tolerance: This factor concerns now tolerance people are of risk, the more tolerant people are of risk the more likely they are to trust someone.
• Level of Adjustment: This factor concerns that amount of time people need to build trust. It takes some people longer before they feel comfortable to trust someone.
• Relative Power: If the truster is a person in authorityhe is more likely to trust as he has power over the person he is trusting.

Situational Factors

The situational factors are the factors that influence where an individual chooses to tust or not.

• Security: Security is important as not all risks are equal, the higher the stakes the less likely people are to trust someone.
• Number of Similaities: People are more likely to trust other who are similar to themselves, similarities such as; common values, memberhsip in a group, share personality traits, etc. It’s difficult to trust people who seem different.
• Alignment of Interests: Before we trust someone we consider “How likely is this person to serve my interests?” If interests are aligned trust becomes a lot easier. Aligned interests lead to trust.
• Benevolent Concern: The leader that demonstrates “benevolent concern” show that he will put himself at risk for his followers.
• Capability: In the article Robert provides a good example, “If you’re going to have surgery, you’ve probably more concerned about your surgeon’s technical skills than about how much the two of you have in common.“
• Predictability and Integrity: A person to be trusted is consided more trustworthy if their behaviour can be reliably predicted. A trusted person is someone who will do what they say they will do.
• Level of Communication: As trust is relational, good communication is essential. Open and honest communication creates an environment the encourages trust.

Ultimately trust is a measure of the quality of a leaders relationship with their followers.

Technorati Tags: Leadership, Management, Business, Trust, Teams, Teamwork

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Tagged as: Teamwork, Trust