Trust, we all can write books about this topic. Have you ever though what 'Trust' means? Take 30 seconds and think about it before you continue reading this blog.
I will start with. Did you know there is a LinkedIn group specifically focusing on this topic? FINT First International Network of Trust, go and have a look. You will find interesting material regarding the study of trust. You may find it engaging or not to your liking, but either way, you make decisions every day based on trust. I find it amusing when, in movies, the actor always says, 'Trust me.' And notice how many times trust is mentioned in advertisements.
Now why am I writing about trust? In my opinion, trust is the universal link for all organizations. We all know about Agile methodology. Interestingly, I worked with only one company where, once a week, the Scrum Master posted a question before the meeting: 'Do you trust the team to deliver on the project?' The answers were naturally anonymous, and the results were displayed for the whole team. It is not discussed, and I agree with that.
So what does trust consist of? It all depends on the context it is used, however, there are common attributes for trust. This is where I emphasize the importance of research studies once again. You need solidly verified knowledge from Academia. On a side note, I see the 'Knowledge Engineering' role is getting more prominent.
Back to 'Trust'. Yes, trust can be measured in organizations and this is based on verified models. Your challenge will be to identify the model that best fits your needs. Kudos to your organization if you have used this functionality. Maybe this will motivate organizations to recognize the importance of including universities as partners in their ecosystem.
For now, I leave you with three trust attributes: *
In blogs to follow, 'Trust' will be discussed in more detail. What other attributes exist? Definitions. Are there different types of trust? How does this tie into Knowledge Management? And more.
Please feel free to share your opinions. FINT, your insights are welcome.
Knowledge Management : Theory to Practice (This site's LinkedIn address.)
*Mayer, Roger C., James H. Davis and F. David Schoorman (July 1995). ‘An Integrative
Model of Organizational Trust’. In: The Academy of Management Review 20.3, p. 709.