0.2 Organizational Behavior – How Trust Works
Understanding organizational behavior starts with understanding how we work as individuals.
In his book How the Mind Works, Steven Pinker shows exactly how our brains are wired to respond to actions that either build trust or corrode it. He shows how trust gives rise to every one of our emotions – from love and devotion, to jealousy and betrayal. Why do we feel love? Because we trust someone and feel trusted in return. Why do we get angry? Because we feel a lack of trust. Why do we feel betrayed? Because we perceive someone isn’t keeping up his or her end of the bargain.
Trust is based on the principle of reciprocity. It’s an evolutionary strategy, hard-wired into our genes. If you give me a hand, I’ll return the favor – especially if I think there’s a strong likelihood of repeated transactions with you in the future. Pinker shows that our brains are hard-wired to detect whether reciprocity and trust exist – or whether there are gaps between what we expect to receive and what we actually receive. This “cheater meter” is working in every conscious moment. If I think that you’ve treated me fairly, then my cheater meter is in the green. If not, it swings into the red.
Organizational Behavior & The Cheater Meter
People are remarkably attuned to their cheater meters. You know exactly how much you trust your boss, your peers, and anyone else you know. Think about someone you trust. Fundamentally, if you feel trust, you trust him or her to look after your interests, right? That’s reciprocity at work. Adding another layer of nuance to this trust business, each of us sets our cheater meter differently. This is particularly evident at the start of a relationship. Look at the following table and see if you can tell where your cheater meter is set.
Organizational Behavior & Trust Orientations
If you said “trust until,” you join roughly 45 percent of the population who feel that way. Another 45 percent say they “distrust until.” The remaining 10 percent occupy the two extremes, again in roughly even percentages. Building trust begins with knowing how it works, and that people have different trust orientations.
Another dimension of trust has to do with expectations. Some people have very high expectations and thus are easily disappointed. Others have low expectations, and don’t feel particularly bothered when their expectations aren’t met. The chart below shows how these two dimensions work together.
People respond very differently when they feel trust. Customers will stay loyal to your company. Suppliers will provide you the best products. Employees will make decisions more quickly, put aside conflicts more easily, and accept compromises more swiftly. If you want to operate at light speed, you need to have your hand on the trust throttle 24/7.
Organizational Behavior: Trust vs. Expectations
- Are there trust issues in your organization?
- What would your employees would rate your trustworthiness, on a scale of 1-10?
- Do you build trust through reciprocity?
- What are your trust expectations?