Saturday, October 07, 2017

Building a Culture of Trust

Neuroscience researcher Paul J. Zak has been studying trust for many years.   A recent Inc. column by Marissa Levin summarized some of his key research findings.  Zak has discovered that people at high-trust organizations experience less stress, higher productivity, more engagement, and more job and personal satisfaction.  How does one build a culture of trust in your organization?  Zak advocates eight strategies:

  • Recognize excellence
  • Provide challenging (but not impossible) work for people
  • Give workers the autonomy to choose how to do their work
  • Give employees voice, particularly in how they design their jobs. 
  • Communicate clearly, concisely, and frequently. 
  • Build relationships among employees. 
  • Facilitate whole-person growth and development. 
  • Show vulnerability as a leader, thus making others feel psychologically safe. 

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