Developing and Rebuilding Trust

Definition

Trust is defined as a party’s voluntary exposure to potential risk stemming from another’s actions, based on the expectation that the other will carry out something the trustor deems important, even when the trustor cannot observe or influence those actions (Mayer et al., 1995). Putting it another way, trust means holding the conviction that another person will act in ways that advance your own interests (Piercy, 2021).

Trust is a cornerstone of effective leadership, built through consistent and deliberate behaviors. According to Gitman et al. (2024), transparency, reliability, and empathy are three key behaviors that leaders employ to foster trust within their teams. Transparency involves sharing information openly and honestly, creating a sense of security and confidence among team members. Reliability means that a leader follows through on promises and delivers tasks on time with high quality, reinforcing the team’s trust in their capabilities. Empathy, on the other hand, requires understanding and addressing the emotions and needs of team members, making them feel valued and encouraging open communication. Together, these behaviors cultivate positive relationships and strong collaboration within the team.

Trust is the foundation of team success, and its absence leads to significant issues. According to Lencioni’s (2002) pyramid model of the five dysfunctions of a team, the absence of trust is the root of all team problems. This model includes five dysfunctions: absence of trust, fear of conflict, lack of commitment, avoidance of accountability, and inattention to results. The absence of trust causes team members to fear vulnerability, hindering honest communication. This leads to unproductive conflicts, lack of commitment to decisions, avoidance of accountability, and ultimately poor results. Building trust through encouraging openness and transparent leadership actions creates a safe space for collaboration.

Note: Pyramid model of the five dysfunctions from Lencioni (2002)

Why Does Developing and Rebuilding Trust Matter?

Trust is a foundational element of effective team leadership and conflict resolution. Without trust, collaboration falters, communication breaks down, and organizational change becomes significantly harder to implement (Cawsey et al., 2016). Leaders who cultivate trust create environments where team members feel psychologically safe, leading to higher engagement, innovation, and productivity (Levi, 2013). Conversely, when trust is broken, conflicts escalate, and team cohesion deteriorates, making conflict resolution more challenging (Parker, 1990).

Impact on Team Leadership

Trust is critical in organizational change because employees are more likely to embrace change when they believe in their leaders (Cawsey et al., 2016). Leaders who demonstrate transparency and consistency foster trust, reducing resistance to change.

Servant leadership, as described by Wright (2000) and Osborne (2018), emphasizes empathy, humility, and trust-building. Leaders who prioritize their team’s needs over personal gain create stronger, more loyal teams.

Uhl-Bien and Arena (2017) highlight that in complex organizations, leaders must foster trust to enable adaptability. Without trust, teams resist experimentation and innovation, hindering organizational agility.

Impact on Conflict Resolution

Trust minimizes fear and defensiveness in conflicts, allowing for open dialogue (Levi, 2013). Teams with high trust engage in constructive conflict rather than personal attacks.

Disney’s leadership strategies (Cockerell, 2008) emphasize that trust allows employees to voice concerns without fear of retaliation, leading to quicker conflict resolution.

Parker (1990) argues that trust is essential for teamwork—when team members trust each other, they collaborate more effectively, reducing friction and unresolved disputes.

Tell Me A Story

In our OMADA outdoor canoeing exercise, Asmita's group experienced initial difficulties with coordination. At the first try, a few people rowed at a different pace, frustrating for others and leading to blame games. The tension escalated until one of the team members, Omar, assumed leadership in resolving the problem. Rather than giving out blame, he asked everyone to take a pause and think through by inviting each person to share what was going in his/her mind in a calm manner. This supportive dialogue not only re-established trust between the team members, but also changed the mood of from being defensive to being collaborative.

With remarkable sangfroid, Omar diagnosed the trouble and proposed we should count "1, 2, 3" aloud and paddle to keep a harmonized pace. He was clear in explaining the technique and he urged everybody to speak out. He led the team to become better organized. Asmita's team finally emerged as the fastest.

The behavior of Omar shows leadership and his abilities to develop trust among team members. Northouse (2021) observes effective leaders solve issue within groups and support task and relational functions. Omar accomplished this through building trust, enhancing the paddling style, and keeping the team morale. He also presented the aspect of emotional intelligence, which is one of the most significant leadership qualities described by Goleman (2000). He introduced calmness instead of responding with frustrations. In addition, he used cooperative conflict resolution techniques. According to Wilmot and Hocker (2011), there are two visible ways of managing conflict, which include reframing issues and promoting collaborative efforts. The icebreaker leadership style of Omar, which is based on empathy, trust building, and implementation of leadership experience, helped to relieve the situation and make it a success.

Additional Resources

Simon Sinek notes trust and cooperation in organizations are not yet standard practice. He posits that great leaders fundamentally need empathy and perspective, emphasizing that a leader's true role is not about being in charge, but about taking care of those in their charge, a responsibility that requires significant personal sacrifice. The video critiques how many companies fail to teach leadership as a learnable skill, resulting in managers who micromanage rather than truly lead.

Podcast: Brené on the Anatomy of Trust

Brené Brown shares her research into trust using the marble jar analogy. To break down the complex concept of trust, Brown introduces the BRAVING acronym, detailing seven essential behaviors: Boundaries, Reliability, Accountability, Vault, Integrity, Non-judgment, and Generosity. This framework aims to provide a clear, behavioral understanding of trust, allowing individuals to identify and address specific issues in both their relationships with others and their crucial self-trust.

Zak, P. J. (2017). The neuroscience of trust. Harvard Business Review, 95(1), 84-90. https://hbr.org/2017/01/the-neuroscience-of-trust

Professor Paul J. Zak emphasizes building a culture of trust is crucial for fostering employee engagement and achieving positive organizational outcomes, such as higher productivity, better product quality, and increased profitability. It argues that unlike short-term perks, trust creates lasting effects on talent retention and performance. Drawing on extensive neuroscience research, including the role of the brain chemical oxytocin, the article provides a science-based framework detailing eight specific management behaviors that leaders can implement to effectively cultivate trust within their companies. The payoff for high-trust organizations includes more energetic, engaged, and loyal employees who also experience less chronic stress and greater life satisfaction.

What Would Jesus Do?

We explores how Jesus Christ demonstrated trust in others and how He rebuilt trust as a leader. These biblical examples serve as powerful illustrations of servant leadership and offer insights for modern leadership challenges.

Trusting the Disciples with the Great Commission (English Standard Version Bible, 2016, Matthew 28:19–20)

After His resurrection, Jesus entrusted the disciples with the Great Commission: "Go and make disciples of all nations..." (ESV, 2016, Matthew 28:19–20). Despite their failures and moments of doubt, Jesus believed in their potential and empowered them to continue His mission. This act of trust shows that leadership is not about perfection, but about faith in growth and calling.

Rebuilding Trust with Peter (ESV, 2016, John 21:15–17)

Peter denied Jesus three times during His trial. Yet, after the resurrection, Jesus gently restored Peter by asking him three times if he loved Him, and then commissioned him: "Feed my sheep." This moment was not only one of forgiveness but also of reaffirming trust and purpose. Jesus’ leadership shows that trust can be rebuilt through grace and responsibility.

Reflection

Jesus demonstrated trust by empowering His disciples despite their failures. His trust in them, shown through the Great Commission and the reinstatement of Peter, teaches us that leadership must include trust, restoration, and believing in others' potential. In modern teams and organizations, this means creating space for people to grow after mistakes and leading with compassion and integrity.

So What? Now What?

In organizations, leaders should implement various strategies cultivating transparency, reliability, and empathy to develop or rebuild trust.

First, leaders can equip the team with multiple tools to promote the culture of transparency. Leaders can require every team member to have a calendar visible to everyone, with all meetings and tasks properly blocked. Leaders should organize a daily or weekly team meeting during which every team member will recap what he/she has done, share thoughts, and ask questions.

Second, leaders should enforce a task-tracking system to cultivate reliability. Every team member should put in their tasks and expected delivery date. The progress will be tracked during the regular team meeting. Failure to deliver on time will have be reflected negatively in a team member's rating.

Finally, leaders should exemplify and nurture the culture of empathy within the team. Leaders should set up regular one-to-one meeting with each team member, listening to their feedback and addressing their concerns. It is a good idea to share Birkman test results among the team members and learn the strength and weakness of each one to get a better perspective.

Self-Reflection Questions

What's the difference in strategies in developing and rebuilding trust in difference industries?
What are the cultural factors to be considered in developing and building trust in a multicultural and multiracial organization?

Reference

Cawsey, T. F., Deszca, G., & Ingols, C. (2016). Organizational change: An action-oriented toolkit. Sage.

Cockerell, L. (2008). Creating Disney magic. Vermillion.

English Standard Version Bible. (2016). The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. Crossway.

Gitman, L. J., McDaniel, C., Shah, A., Reece, M., Koffel, L., Talsma, B., & Hyatt, J. (2024). Introduction to business. OpenStax.

Goleman, D. (2000). Leadership that gets results. Harvard Business Review, 78, 78-90.

Lencioni, P. (2002). The five dysfunctions of a team. [Video]. Retrieved from YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=75bO_XWk7fw

Levi, D. (2013). Group dynamics for teams. Sage.

Mayer, R. C., Davis, J. H., & Schoorman, F. D. (1995). An integrative model of organizational trust. Academy of management review, 20(3), 709-734.

Northouse, P. G. (2021). Leadership: Theory and practice (9th ed.). Sage Publishing.

Osborne, L. (2018). Lead like a shepherd. Thomas Nelson.

Parker, G. M. (1990). Team players and teamwork. Jossey-Bass.

Piercy, C. W. (2021). Problem Solving in Teams and Groups. University of Kansas Libraries. https://opentext.ku.edu/teams

Uhl-Bien, M., & Arena, M. (2017). Complexity leadership. Organizational Dynamics, 46(1), 9-20.

Wilmot, W., & Hocker, J. (2013). Interpersonal Conflict. McGraw-Hill Higher Education.

Wright, W. C. (2000). Relational leadership. Paternoster.

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