Contrary to common belief, trust is not a prerequisite for teamwork and collaboration …information sharing, perspective taking, and effective turn taking can help organizations make progress on and speed up change and transformation.
Per Hugander, strategic advisor, adjunct professor
Takeaways of Note:
4 steps to keeping trust from getting in the way of maximizing productive behavior & strategic progress, communicate:
- Trust is important, but interpersonal trust is not a prerequisite for collaboration
- Feelings of trust & distrust are natural when collaborating with new individuals – but are intuitive biases and should be set aside
- It’s vital to share the most accurate data – even when unpleasant; everyone is responsible for creating an atmosphere that allows for both candor & vulnerability
- Our individual willingness to explore & take each other’s perspectives is key to progress and effective decision making on complex challenges
Bonus Nugget:
When leaders focus on getting the conversations right, groups often improve decisions and progress quite quickly. The experience of shared progress often strengthens trust between collaborators. It might sound counterintuitive, but shifting attention away from trust might be one effective way to quickly build trust in new constellations.