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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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This is the story of a group of students at Universidad EAN that belong to the humanistic management youth researchers group, that have been working for the last 5 months in a Colombian company in ord
Story by Konocenos Human on May 26, 2015
At the centre of innovation are people in all their forms; however, much of the references to people being at the heart of our organisations pay lip-service to what it truly means to realise a people-
Story by Ian Fergus on June 10, 2013
Once upon a time there was a successful leader. He had an important role in the management of a huge fair.
Story by Bernhard Sterchi on November 1, 2016
Five years ago I coached a software development group who absolutely hated one of their members(let's say "Alice") who appeared abusive, condescending, and arrogant -- but was also acknowledged t
Story by Gary Cook on October 4, 2010
By reconsidering the idea of a 'job creation program', individuals in a low income public housing area were able to take on the level of responsibility they were comfortable with, learn new skills and
Story by Martin Butcher on October 28, 2011
HCL Technologies overhauled its annual business planning process, turning it into an opportunity for a) grooming future leaders, b) pushing the envelope of organizational transparency, and c) leveragi
Story by Shubhi Mittal on October 30, 2013
If you have a booming business, congrats! Your personnel is growing, and so is your equipment and the accompanying technology.
Story by Mike T Deane on January 7, 2021
Knowing is key to making decisions. Knowing is the foundation of the trust you need to build trust with others.
Story by Jim McGriff, Jr. on September 24, 2015
In Parts 1-3, I recounted the Pull Replenishment saga of how a small team started a bottom-up movement that generated millions of dollars in profit, improved shipping performance to the customer, and
Story by David Choe on June 17, 2011

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