This post contains publicly available content and my responses to exercises from this unit of the course created by Julian Stodd and Sea Salt Learning.
As I started the course, I decided that I would go for 100% completion of all exercises given that there was a leaderboard for completion and learner engagement. On the back of that decision, I decided to do the exercises using “wild mind writing”.
Introduction
In this level, we will explore some of the work around the Landscape of Trust, particularly considering the relationship between trust and its partner, mistrust.
We will look at some of the original research and narrative accounts of trust and consider what we can do individually and organisationally to create conditions where trust is earned.
Overview
This video introduces the concept of trust in the context of the Social Age.
Video
My response:
trust: firm belief in the reliability, truth, or ability of someone or something
For me trust in someone comes from real-life/virtual evidence. Do people do what they say they will do? Do they keep their promises? Do they tell the truth? Do they talk behind my back?
There are people I trust implicitly based on the above. There are others where I take everything they say with a pinch of salt. There are others where I would not give them something to do if I had a choice if it was mission critical in terms of cost/quality/timescale.
Contracts are interesting. Yes, these are needed if only for best practice reasons e.g. Service Level Agreements.
Agree trust can differ across an organisation with individuals, teams, roles and so on.
Not sure it always needs high social relationships if the evidence is that the senior leadership always does/says what they say they will do.
I note that increasing rules/contracts can mean reduced flexibility which may be sub-optimal and not have the desired effect.
Thinking out loud: lack of priority can impact this re changing minds the whole time so there is no clarity of vision, mission, strategy etc.
Trust is definitely something that we individually need to work at re promises and renegotiate agreements with others when we cannot meet what we have said we will do when etc.
Do You Trust Me? Talking About Trust In Organisations
Do you trust the organisation you work for? Yes, no, or sometimes? Share your thinking here.
My response:
I work for a privately owned professional services firm with c30 staff. We can fit in one room. Yes, I trust the owner of the company, my line manager. We can talk about anything and everything. I can simply chase him if something slips his mind. It makes a change working for this size of organisation where you can influence how things get done.
Re the question in the article, re "trust" as a subject in its own right, no re conversation on that. But, lots of times trust-related issues have been discussed by me in terms of career, projects, day job issues and the like as they affect me, the work etc where the trust issues have manifested themeselves in terms of promises etc not kept and me calling people out for that and vice versa if need be.
Reading the article reminded me of an experience earlier in my career where there was a total breakdown of trust between a senior manaher and a direct report where it became a total power play of one saying either s/he goes or I go. As an outsider looking in, it was self-evident that there was a complete breakdown of trust in their relationship.
We definitely need more truthtelling in our organisations at all levels not just in leadership teams.
A fave podcast is by Jocko Willinck. I agree with his stance that anyone he comes into contact with he trusts and believes they are capable of doing a specific job/task unless and until the person breaks that trust or does not perform.
If there ever is a scale of trust to measure someone or an organisation against, it would need to be against more specific dimensions and not just "trust" e.g. does the other person keep their promises etc. I would normally expect that to be defined in competencies and/or job/role specs that the organisation recruits and develops people against. E.g.
"Does not over promise and under deliver" in Soft Skills - Customer Handling - Ability to work effectively with customers.
"Ability to maintain and respect confidentiality when appropriate" in Specific Skills - General Administration - Ability to co-ordinate/conduct general administration tasks which occur on a day-to-day basis.
Re confidentiality, it amazes me how many people cannot keep their mouth shut on certain issues that are clearly confidential.
Reflections on aspects of trust
Podcast
Has this caused you to think about trust differently from before? If so, how?
My response:
This made me think of how you exclude people from e.g. Twitter chats given that hashtags are public if a person breaks any written or unwritten rules (if there are any) of that "community".
I would want to know what "lack of trust" in the organisation that someone works for actually means and how it manifests itself. Trust, for me, is too high-level a word to use for this.
exploit: make full use of and derive benefit from (a resource); make use of (a situation) in a way considered unfair or underhand
So "exploit" needs defining and I would say people when asked about being exploited need to be given the definition and then themselves give examples to justify their assessment.
Re the issues listed, these are all best practices of professionally managed and led organisations.
If there are so many trust issues then why stay with the organisation.
A good reminder that values need defining and also need examples of how these values are seen to be demonstrated in action so there is unamiguity.
The Triangle of Trust: Intention, Action, Impact
This article explores how 'intent' does not translate through to 'impact'. Can you think of a time when this has happened to you: either experiencing it, or causing it, that you can share?
My response:
Interesting to note that with some people I have worked with over the years I do not know what their intent was as it is rarely verbalised unless the issue is they have said they were going to do something and then do not.
Reminded again that it is people who are acting in an organisation not the organisation itself.
Making me think whether working in an organisation where there is full trust across the whole organisation and between all staff is a fantasy and never achievable. People will always let us down as we are human.
Re not being able to act according to our values that is what I mentioned in a prior comment re renegotiatiing an agreement so at least you have demonstrated that there is an issue and communicated it.
In my experience one of the major issus is that we are never totally aware of the pressures that are faced by a colleague and it is therefore east to make an assumption that e.g. someone can drop what they are doing to assist you with what you consider to be a higher priority task.
Trust in the Social Age
This is a survey to get you thinking about trust between individuals and organisations. 'The Landscape of Trust' research project is a prototype I'm running throughout 2017 to build on this aspect of the Social Age. So by taking part, you are helping to co-create that study.
A survey to get you thinking about trust between individuals and organisations. Responses are anonymous and all questions are optional.
My response:
I deliberately answered by picking from one of the specific words given and not adding new ones
Trust - predictability
Valued at Work - reward
Reward - financial
My organisation - usually values me
Trust in the organisation that I work for - some trust
Lack trust in organisation, primary consequence - (impossible to say from choices given!) less likely to engage
Age - 50-69
Male
Employed 1-39 hours/wk
Size of org - 10-30
Sector - Computing and IT
Email - gave it
1.6. Challenge
A video to help you develop your understanding of trust.
Video
What are you going to as you develop your understanding of trust? And what are the challenges to earning high levels of trust?
My response:
Continue to keep my promises and deliver on those. Continue to hold others to account where there are impacts on me and/or the clients we are delivering services to,
Will ask others for their definition of trust.
Opportunities for co-creation appear to be limited but will look out for some opportunities but would usually need to be for specific clients on specific assignments.
1.7. What does trust mean to you?
Share your thoughts on what trust means to you.
In under 100 words, what does trust mean to you? You can add material to support your answer:
My response:
My trust in a third party (person or organisation) is measured by me by the third party doing what they say they will do when they say they will do it to the standard that they say they will do it. The “saying” may be verbally or in writing to me directly or generally or in a communication (e.g. sales or marketing etc).
Another good post. This reminds me of the work that Organisational Psychologist David Holzmer (see him on Twitter) had shared on Snapchat about his research on the importance of trust and the need for psychological safety in the workplace. His work and his live streaming (check out his Facebook Live streams are excellent).
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