Whether a business crisis leads to positive
or a negative, organizational outcome is a function of the actions of the leader
as well as an important organizational capability that allows leaders to flourish during
times of crisis; that capability is trust. Trust is
an organization's capability to create and sustain mutually beneficial relationships with
key stakeholders. We maintain that the firms that do this well are better able to address
crises when they occur than firms that are not
able to establish trust across stakeholders.
On the surface, the notion of trust seems a simple construct. It is one of the first
lessons in childhood and it factors into every
stage and phase of life. We either trust a
person, or we do not. We are either trustworthy or we are not. Simple! At its most basic
level, trust represents our ability or willingness to depend on someone else. When we
trust others, we feel confident and secure in another's actions to the extent that
those actions relate to or affect us. People talk casually but confidently about trust
being the foundation of any meaningful relationship - personal or professional.
They judge people and their effectiveness in work and in life on how trustworthy they are.
And the assumptions they hold about trust are relatively universal. For example, it is
not uncommon to hear people say the following: "trust takes a long time to develop, but
can be broken in an instant" or "trust has
to be earned". In reality, the feelings,
emotions, and experiences of trust suggest that it is
a complex phenomenon as anyone who has experienced a betrayal can probably attest. |
