Productivity and Trust.
Based on personal experience in multiple fields and work atmospheres, higher levels of trust in leadership has been one of the factors most frequently associated with productive employees, while lack of trust in leadership has been associated far more with lower-producing employees.
This is due primarily to a direct reaction to leadership style, which results in a self-fulfilling prophecy/downward spiral of productivity.
“Trust is an essential element in managing people and building a high-performing organization. It’s the foundation on which all relationships are built,” (Bruce, 2011).
I’ve seen this play out in public schools. A principal’s lack of trust in a teacher’s ability slowly erodes the teacher’s trust in the principal, and sometimes, even in their own abilities as an educator. Principals who trust their teachers and put the work in to reinforce that trust every day routinely outperform schools headed by administrators who do not trust their faculty.
Neuroscientist Paul Zak writes in his book Trust Factor: The Science of Creating High-Performance Companies that working in a high-trust environment increases oxytocin and dopamine which keeps chronic stress levels low resulting in higher levels of joy (2017). The result? Happy, and highly productive employees.
Is trust really that important?
Yes. Trust ties in directly with both Maslow’s motivation and Adams’ equity theories. Maslow’s self-actualization concept is a lesson in trust; from a leader trusting subordinates enough to allow them autonomy and creative freedom when appropriate, to the subordinate’s trust in the leader to supply appropriately challenging tasks while supporting their personal and professional growth (Bruce, 2011). Without this, the relationship collapses.
Adams’ equity theory also requires trust, as subordinates trust that their output effort will be reciprocated by the organization’s leadership. If this sense of equity, this trust, is violated, employees are likely to lower their production to match their perception of the company’s lack of equity. “If equity cannot be restored by either decreasing inputs or by increasing outcomes, workers ultimately will leave their jobs,” (Skiba & Rosenberg, 2011).
Trust is everything in a workplace.
-The Penguins
References
Bruce, A. (2011) Manager’s guide to motivating employees. McGraw-Hill.
Paul Zak. (2017). Trust factor : The science of creating high-performance companies. AMACOM.
