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The Relationship Between Trust and
Organizational Success During a Change
(By Pamela J. Fleming, TNU 2007)
Anytime a corporation
experiences change for whatever reason, the corporation
experiences a downturn in productivity and motivation. The
length of time a corporation stays in the downturn determines
how successful they are in managing change. Change managed
poorly, may end a period of profitability for the corporation,
and ultimately, force the corporation from the business world
through bankruptcy. This paper outlines one of the ways to
shorten the period of time a corporation spends in this “Valley
of Despair” or “Cocoon Phase” by fostering an atmosphere of
trust.
Neves and Caetano
quoted a study by Bridges, “. . . change can be implemented more
easily if participants accept the new attributes and are able to
enact them. Successful organizational change takes place when
employees have a purpose, a plan for, and a part to play in that
change” (352). One method to empower employees and to foster
trust during organizational change is to develop open and honest
communication with all employees. Neves and Caetano explained,
“Communication provides compelling justification for the change,
enhances a sense of employee efficacy, and clarifies the changes
to employee roles” (352).
Positive interaction
between upper management and employees resulted in an increased
level of trust and as they explained further, “Successful social
exchanges lead to trust because they involve unspecified
obligations for which no binding contract can be written. This
is a sign of mutual support and investment in the relationship”
(353). Supervisors who dealt with their employees fairly which
cultivated trust between them shortened the time their
corporations spent in the “Cocoon Phase.” Even the level of
management providing the communication determined the extent of
sustained trust as Morgan and Zeffane contended, “. . . direct
consultation with higher-level managers is the most successful
mechanism in sustaining trust in management” (71).
Another influence on
trust in organizations is the behavior of previous supervisors
as Ballinger and Schoormann revealed, “We believe that the
affective reaction of an individual to the departure of his or
her old leader has an impact on that individual’s initial
willingness to trust his or her new leader” (127). It is
advantageous to those stepping into new leadership roles to
understand the organization’s culture. Even if the previous
leader was not trusted, knowing this will help the new leader
understand where he/she should develop an atmosphere of trust.
Kuhl, et al., reminded
us, “Trust is a way to bring about cooperation in spite of such
unavoidable uncertainty. The problem with trusting someone is
that it also involves a risk, which is often difficult to
assess. . . . trust entails the risk that one’s willingness to
cooperate may be misused” (185-186). If management is trusted in
the small daily interactions with its employees, it allowed
employees to risk trusting them during change.
Management must be
diligent in maintaining an atmosphere of trust as Kuhl, et al.,
repeated, “Trust as a management tool offers a key advantage: as
a strategy, trust provides a great deal of maneuverability.
People who trust have no need to wait for every favor to be
repaid immediately. . . . However, the problem is that even a
minor indication of a violation can suffice to end a
relationship of trust” (187).
Top-level management’s
open and honest communication coupled with treating employees
fairly enabled organizations to move through periods of change
quicker because the employees could trust supervision and knew
they had their interests in mind. We learned in an early
Management and Human Relations Module to do treat employees
fairly because it is just the right thing to do.
Works Cited
Ballinger, Gary A., and
F. David Schoorman. “INDIVIDUAL REACTIONS TO LEADERSHIP
SUCCESSION IN WORKGROUPS.” Academy of Management Review 32.1
(2007): 118-136. Business Source Premier. 30 April 2007.
<http://ebscohost.com>
Kuhl, Stefan, Schnell,
Thomas, and Franz-joseph Tillmann. “Laterial leadership: An
organizational approach to change.” Journal of Change Management
5.2 (2005): Business Source Premier. 30 April 2007. <http://ebscohost.com>
Morgan, David E., and
Rachid Zeffane. “Employee involvement, organization change and
trust in management.” International Journal of Human Resource
Management 14.1 (2003): 55-75. Business Source Premier. 30 April
2007.
<http://ebscohost.com>
Neves, Pedro, and
Antinio Caetano. “Social Exchange Processes in Organization
Change: The Roles of Trust and Control.” Journal of Change
Management 6.4 (2006): 351-364. Business Source Premier.
Trevecca Nazarene University.
30 April 2007. <http://ebscohost.com>
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