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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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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
In today’s organizations there is not only a gap in leadership but a seemingly high level of denial.
Hack by Marla Hetzel on July 14, 2013
The major barrier to expansion of leadership capacity within organizations and beyond is common sense and meaning of words/terms 'leadership' and ‘leader’, obsolete but dominating paradigm that ‘leade
Hack by Oleg Derevianko on July 11, 2013
In our group tasks are chosen by our people.People are encouraged to volunteer to lead projects and others are encouraged to volunteer to join them and support them.The whole work is self-organized.Wh
Story by Edna Pasher on July 9, 2013
This is the story of a Colombian based engineering company that grew from 60 people in 2006 to over 1000 by 2012.
Story by Peter King on June 24, 2013
Hi you all!The paper “Conceptoloy of Learning and Leading at Work” is now completed and ready sharing and reviewing. The paper is available in both a short and a long version.
Hack by Rune Kvist Olsen on June 18, 2013
Shift from an obsession with financial forecasting to becoming expert in behaviour and attitude forecasts.
Hack by Chris Shambrook on June 14, 2013
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

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