New Insights: Do These 5 Things to Foster More Trust In Your Team

106% more energy, 50% higher profits: Here’s why trust matters between team members and 5 ways to get it right

Communal gardens. Connecting for success. And employees with 106% more energy. When we talk about trust in organisations, we usually only focus on trying to get employees to trust the company. But there’s so much evidence to suggest that social connection, respect and trust among team members is just as important in driving good businesses to become great. So, in this post, let’s focus on building trust in teams specifically.

WHY IS TRUST IN A TEAM SO IMPORTANT?

First off, a lack of trust amongst teams and employees is one of the biggest issues most companies – especially in South Africa – face today. “I have an exercise that I do separately with the staff of the company whenever I get called in, and I do it even before I go to meet with the management,” says Dr Cobus Oosthuizen (PhD in Human Behaviour), founder of LifeXchange Solutions. “And it helps met pinpoint within 5 minutes what the ‘real issue’ is.

trust, team, teams, in, your, among, members, employees, coworkers, staff, how to, build, create, building, respect, why is trust, important, between, examples, importance of, within a, activities, leader’s role, social, connections, productivity, motivation, engagement, social capital, develop, foster, challenge, stress, healthy, workplace, at work, company, business, organisation, growth, performance, profitable

“And in 90% of the companies where you have low work performance, low productivity, incivility, high staff turnover rate, low morale etc. the problem is a lack of trust. People feel they can’t trust their managers and leadership, the can’t trust the company, and they often can’t trust each other.

“The thing is that trust is the basis for all the behaviours that you want in the workplace. Trust leads to independent thinking, creativity, the courage and willingness to take on tasks, self-management – everything you need to really grow your company relies on the level of trust in your teams.”

And it’s true trust is the foundation of every major human behavioural development model: See Trust as the number one point in Erikson’s Theory of human development, it’s a crucial ingredient in creating the vital sense of Belonging in the Circle of Courage theory, and it’s the first step towards creating the Connection that leads to competence, responsibility and purpose, according to the Human Development Cycle.

SCIENTIFIC STUDIES SHOW TRUST IN TEAMS REALLY WORKS

In her 1999 study into the psychology of performance and learning behaviour among teams, Amy Edmondson found that the level of trust in a team directly impacts its ability to perform. When trust is low “…energy and creativity are diverted from finding comprehensive, realistic solutions …” Instead, team members become vulnerable and afraid to try new things (for fear of judgment or punishment).

A 2015 study on workplace trust by Sarah Brown et al confirms the link between trust and productivity. And the 10+ years of trust research by Paul J Zak not only showed that we can gauge the level of trust in teams by measuring the “trust hormone” oxytocin in their brains (published in 2005 in Nature.com) but his team’s own measurements showed that in high-trust companies employees were 74% less stressed, 76% more engaged, brought 106% more energy to work, took 13% fewer sick days and – importantly – boosted profits by 50%

Sound like you need more trust between your employees? Here’s how to do it:

5 WAYS TO BUILD TRUST IN YOUR TEAMS

1. FOCUS ON CREATING SOCIAL CONNECTIONS

For over a decade studies have been showing that it’s not personal skill, talent or even the amount of money you pay an employee that drives productivity (see the weird science behind employee motivation). Instead, what drives productivity and success is the quality of social connections that form between people.

It’s called social capital, and time and again it has proven way more effective at increasing performance within a company. WATCH: Entrepreneur and CEO Margaret Heffernan’s message about the power of social connections at work:

Connection-building initiatives like synchronised lunchtimes and coffee breaks (to get people talking) and communal garden spaces where people can connect with others outside of their immediate team have proven hugely successful. But the key is to drive these things on a company management level: invest in things that give your employees a chance to connect.

(Note: They’re going to connect anyway, that’s what people do. Taking ownership of the responsibility to allow connection is leadership’s role, it’s what will make the difference between whether employees connect over positive things like their shared responsibility and creativity, or whether they’ll connect over the negatives – like ganging up against company management, for example.)

And, also, allow them time to connect.

2. ALLOW TRUST TO DEVELOP OVER TIME

One of the most important things to realise about trust is that there are levels to it. We will put a basic level of trust in people, but it can get a little complicated: When you order a sandwich, you’re showing trust in the restaurant’s ability to deliver a meal that won’t give you food poisoning. But you probably won’t entrust the waiter with your deepest, darkest secret.

erikson, theory, stages of, development, human, psychosocial, 8, eight, erik erikson, for, business, human resources, hr, why is, important, initiative vs guilt, industry vs inferiority, intimacy vs isolation, generativity vs stagnation, real, life, examples, child, how did, what is a crisis, important, characteristic

That’s because real trust takes time to develop. And that’s why a quick team-building exercise usually doesn’t have long-term effects. Trust is part of the vital connection between people, and that’s why it needs to be long term: It needs to be woven into the fabric of your company.

For more on trust and connection, check out the vital team and behaviour info our Human Development Cycle.

3. CREATE HEALTHY “CHALLENGE STRESS”

Paul Zak found that assigning a team a challenging but achievable goal releases chemicals in the brain that increases their focus and strengthens social connections. The important thing here is that the goal is achievable and it has a definite endpoint. Unrealistic goals, or vague ones with no clearly definable end or measurement, does the exact opposite.

Ok, we know that you need to push your teams, though. Every challenge can’t be easy. But there is a science behind goals and goal-setting, and also how you deliver it to your people. Check out our podcasts on the subject in the energise your life series. And we at LifeXChange Solutions can even show how to make impossible-seeming goals achievable – see Dr Cobus and the backwards brain bike.

And remember, humans have a natural reflex where we push back against coercion and authority called mental pushback. And we at LifeXchange have the methods to get over that, so get more co-operation in willingness form teams to take part in challenges – it has to do with helping individuals find their own significance in every task. And we’re always happy to help: you can contact us or read more on our organisational development solutions.

4. TALK ABOUT TRUST OPENLY

Here’s an interesting idea: If trust is a problem because a lack of it increases people’s fear (of trying things, of retribution, of shame etc.), why not take the lead and address the elephant in the room directly?

Try creating an open forum, where everyone can get together to discuss fear and trust. At first, people will probably be too afraid to really open up about how they feel – which itself confirms that there’s a culture of fear in the company. But, with time, if you show people that there’s no retribution or judgment for speaking up, and if you, as management, protect individuals in your team, you could take some amazing first steps towards turning fear into trust.

Especially if you learn from the forums and adapt and make visible changes, so people feel seen and heard. And then encourage them to talk about their fears with colleagues, too.

PS: A great place to start is to change the habit of naming and shaming employees for their mistakes (sadly, a big part of many companies’ culture today). That erodes trust. What if you can change everyone’s outlook, to make every mistake an opportunity to learn instead?

5. CREATE A CULTURE OF TRUST

Don’t think too small. The bigger and bolder you think about moving toward trust, the more likely you’ll see the change (and real growth) faster. Creating trust among your employees and teams is only one small aspect of trust in organisations.

If you really want to capitalise on the power of trust, here are 6 ways to build trust in leadership, 7 ways to foster trust in your company and all the vital science behind workplace trust.

trust, leadership, trust in leadership, leaders, management, managers, elements of trust, importance, why, need, theory, how do leaders, build trust, with employees, relationship between, in the workplace, building, positive, relationships, expertise, consistent, integrity, agile, agile movement, culture of trust

BONUS: BUILD UNDERSTANDING AND ENGAGEMENT USING TEAM STRENGTHS

One of the main reasons trust is so effective at boosting productivity and performance, is that it helps boost your employee engagement. And one of the coolest ways to really supercharge engagement is to develop your people based on their strengths – it helps teams bond, build trust and get to know each other’s way of thinking by knowing each person’s strengths.

“I learned a valuable communication lesson through our strengths session with LifeXchange,” says Nico Smuts, development manager at Goede Hoop Citrus. “ I learned that we have different communication styles, and then we were able to adjust our comms with each other. So. now I feel we can work much more effectively together. It’s amazing.”

Discover it for yourself and your team: See our strengths-based development.

Also learn to build a team with a mix of complementary skills.

You might also be interested in …

Discover how you can help your leadership improve performance.

Time to (re)discover your WHY at work? See what strikes a chord with you among our awesome self-management tips.

See the effects of poor communication in the workplace.

poor communication in the workplace, poor, communication, in, the, workplace, causes, of, examples, effects, how to deal with, how to, statistics, on, business, at work, root, causes, what are, skills, how do you, deal, deal with, company, culture, organizational, behavior, behaviour, teams, people, employees

Join our webinar on maintaining a culture of trust.

culture, of, trust, webinar, meaning, definition, organizational, behavior, in the, workplace, work, company, foster, in, leadership, about, dates, venue, how to join, free, register, zoom, log, in, time, date, benefits, of, how, to , august, conscious, contracts, join, legal, social, capital

Catch our July webinar: What is self-management?

what, is, self, management, what is self management, webinar, free, register, zoom, log, in, time, date, benefits, of, how, to , improve, skills, importance, of, leadership, techniques, what does, mean, why, important, examples, south africa, theme, thursday, info, time, date, contact, number, register, zoom, video, how to log on, how to join, join, log, on

See 14 years’ worth of experience across two continents on how to manage your team’s productivity when working remotely.

working, remotely, remote, work, productivity, tips, tools, how to, managing, team, people, today, is working remotely a good idea, ensure, production, insights, experience, from, home, meetings, deliverables, deadlines, coronavirus, south africa, europe, us, uk, covid 19

Discover the most overlooked skills in great managers: What is management training?

what, is, management, training, example, of, advantages, types of, senior, programmes, programs, seminars, trainee, in hotel industry, job, what management means, what is management, what do you mean

One of the most important people-based investments you’ll ever make: Discover What company culture really means.

company, culture, what is, what, means, how to describe, examples, importance, important, good, positive, definition, what is the definition of, why is it, can you change, how to change, invest in developing

New: Shocking research shows only 16% of employees fully engaged at work. See what to do about it.

16%, employees, fully, engaged, at work, employee engagement, strengths, coaching, development, how to engage, about strengths, trust and engagement, what percentage of employees are engaged at work, do engaged employees perform better

Also, ask yourself: what are strengths? And see the full list of strengths.

what, are, strengths, key, examples, coaching, of a, student, weaknesses, employee, what are your greatest, answer, samples, what is your greatest, in the workplace, writing about, list of key, core, gallup, list, strengthsfinder, clifton, assessment, free, online, test, domains, institute, 34, cliftonstrengths, how to use, most common, how long does, take, SRI, don, clifton, history

Explore the secrets of good management: What is management, really?

what is, management, what are, the functions, concept of, explain, definition, characteristics of, features of, nature of, what do you mean by, functions, characteristics, hardest, part, biggest, mistake, companies, make, business

Get awesome leadership insights from this top SA entrepreneur from the Cape Union Mart Agile Excellence sessions.

cape, union, mart, agile, excellence, management, training, sessions, leadership, business, brain, keedo, clothing, founder, nelia, annandale, businesswoman, entrepreneur, high, performance, thinking, inspiring, team, neuroscience, neuromanagement, self, regulation, talk, neuro, neural, pathways, positive, reinforcement, goal setting, cognitive, dissonance, mental, tension, ras, reticular activating system, subconscious, automatic, recall

Sustainability, positive company culture and real growth. Discover the power of a mentoring programme in your company: What is mentoring

what is, mentoring, in, the, workplace, business, coaching, concept, of, benefits, process, what is the, role, a mentor, how does, work, what does, a good mentor do, success, company, culture, sustainable, social, capital

And get the best out of all our workshops with a 90-day take-home book with even more info and neuro exercises to explore: Order your own copy of our new Growth Journal.

growth, journal, success, positive, change, productivity, neuroscience, keystone, habits, behaviour, change, journaling, personal, template, how to journal, tips, how do i start, self improvement, what do i write about, NLP, neuro linguistic programming

See our #NeuroscienceForBusiness in action at the Feedem Neuro Workshop and Goede Hoop Citrus strengths workshop.

goede, hoop, citrus, strengths, workshop, sitrus, team, work, development, learning, interaction, get to know, effective, communication, teamwork, management, why, strength, based, development, assessment, teambuilding

And see these 8 SA businesspeople’s top highlights from our recent Neuro HR Workshop.

hr, workshop, johannesburg, gauteng, cape town, ideas, western cape, centurion, pretoria, human resources, training, seminar, courses, neuromanagement, neuroscience, for business, organisational, management, public, mentoring training, SABPP, accredited, CPD points, date, times, venue, book, your, seat, staff motivation, employee, performance

Also discover #HowYourMindsWorks with our look at neurons and neural pathways.

neuron, neurons, brain, cells, nervous, system, function, parts of, types of, diagram, functions, structure, where are, located, labeled, sensory, motor, dendrites, classification, how many, in the brain, characteristics, 3 types of, what is, nerves, the same thing, where are, found, what does it do, neuroscience, for business, neuromanagement, neural pathways, axions, dendrites, soma, synapses

Connect and share your journey with us:
Facebook | Linkedin | Twitter | Instagram