Trust is known to many people as a very general term, as well as a phenomenon which can be seen in almost any closer relationship. In fact, there so much more to it… It is a clear and measurable construct which can enhance the efficiency of team work. Why? The answers can be found below.
Trust enhances engagement.
When a new employee comes to the company, managers tend to control their actions in order to be sure if he or she is using all the right procedures. At the beginning this may be justified but later excessive control can be counterproductive. Employees become discouraged and limited in their freedom to act. This also affects the image of the manager as someone trustworthy. The employees become suspicious and start asking themselves the question whether the employer really believes in them.
Instead your could give the employee the freedom to carry out the task they have been given. This promotes creativity as well as innovative approaches to problems. Furthermore, a lack of excessive surveillance of the employee and correcting their mistakes, increases the employee’s trust towards the manager.
Trust increases the pace of task completion
In many organizations there is a faulty belief that one should “focus on the task and not on making new friends”. Let us not forget that by making new acquaintances at work not only do we have the opportunity to relax and chat, but also share the experience and find people we can ask for help. Developing a valuable social network contributes to a faster task completion.
Trust enhances empowerment
In organizations in which there is a high level of trust, managers do not forget to communicate their employees the effects of their work. What is more, they remember to personalize positive feedback, give it publicly and make it tangible.
Once the employer has clearly defined goals, knows what to improve and has the feeling that they are good at something, this impacts their performance. They feel that they are contributing to life of the organization and are willing to trust other employees.
The link between efficiency and trust is discussed by Stephen M.R. Covey in n his book “Speed of Trust”. He shows that trust can be presented in form of an algorithm: strategy + task done x trust = results. In this way trust becomes the catalyst of efficiency.
