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Increase trust, reduce fear

“The most critical challenge for any organization is to enlarge the circle of trust.”

Command-and-control systems reflect a deep mistrust of employees’ commitment and competence. They also tend to overemphasize sanctions as a way of forcing compliance. That’s why so many organizations are filled with anxious employees who are hesitant to take the initiative or trust their own judgment. Organizational adaptability, innovation, and employee engagement can only thrive in a high-trust, low-fear culture. In such an environment, information is widely shared, contentious opinions are freely expressed, and risk taking is encouraged. Fear paralyzes, mistrust demoralizes—they must be wrung out of our management systems.

124 Stories
236 Hacks
22 Barriers

Increase trust, reduce fear

“The most critical challenge for any organization is to enlarge the circle of trust.”

Command-and-control systems reflect a deep mistrust of employees’ commitment and competence. They also tend to overemphasize sanctions as a way of forcing compliance. That’s why so many organizations are filled with anxious employees who are hesitant to take the initiative or trust their own judgment. Organizational adaptability, innovation, and employee engagement can only thrive in a high-trust, low-fear culture. In such an environment, information is widely shared, contentious opinions are freely expressed, and risk taking is encouraged. Fear paralyzes, mistrust demoralizes—they must be wrung out of our management systems.

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The World may well be on a trajectory which alters it's environment such that it is prematurely unsustainable for human-kind to exist.
Hack by Greg Stevenson on May 26, 2011
A chance question during a seminar exposed a cultural norm at Menlo Innovations that confounds most corporate thinkers. Menlo has no hierarchy. They are a team in the truest sense of the word.
Story by Richard Sheridan on July 14, 2013
At the core of a healthy organization is the idea that people are respected and valued for their different gifts/strengths/talents.
Hack by Josh Allan Dykstra on June 27, 2011
This is the age when Gen-Yers are coming into management and with their unique experience of a diversified society, social consciousness and healthy respect for others - the time to answer my question
Story by Venu Tiruneermalai on February 9, 2013
A framework is needed to make an effective community in an organization,  a framework which engages the whole organization as a community without ranks and allows a free f
Hack by virender vyas on March 21, 2011
How to create a culture of trust within an organization
Story by Matt Shlosberg on May 1, 2010
This is Karen's story. In 2011 a colleague and I attended a presentation at a conference. The speaker had made a mistake but had not realized it.
Story by Peter Rennie on July 14, 2013
The idea of driving the personal growth of independent sales contractors to achieve more sales, especially when you will be using their targets to be communicated from the bottom up in determ
Hack by Gerhard Verwey on July 16, 2011
Who are the people with the “least formal authority” in your organization? Your interns!

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