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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 well-known consulting firm in urban and rural planning was losing momentum as many of its consultants were approaching retirement. Based on a tailored customer survey, ValueMetrix provided the
Story by Anders Magnusson on October 6, 2010
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
So often, we set our company policies with a desire to balance customer interests against our own. But what if we designed a company to be completely customer focused?
Story by Michael Wilkes on November 11, 2011
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
Determined to foster a culture of continuous feedback, enable coaching relationships outside traditional hierarchies, and encourage meaningful recognition among his engineering team, Gilt Groupe's Joh
Story by Nicholas Stein on July 18, 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

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