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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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Replace the fundamental control relationship in the organization from ‘boss-subordinate’ to ‘mentor investor-intrapreneur team’, where mentor investors are modeled on the angel
Hack by Tory Gattis on May 20, 2010
The organization as we know it is changing rapidly. Right now, traditional hierarchical organizations are becoming more social, open, transparent, inclusive, diverse... the list can go on!
Hack by Stephen Remedios on December 5, 2013
42projects is an initiative across several teams at Microsoft to innovate in the way we manage by focusing on building trust, using games to increase productivity, and encouraging grassroots innovatio
Story by Ross Smith on April 11, 2010
Developing  a new model of thought that best motivates people in order to create, innovate, and maximize efficiency.
Hack by Frank Vuong on March 31, 2014
 In 2009, Citrix CEO Mark Templeton issued a challenge: Make Citrix a leader of design excellence by transforming the traditional engineering-driven company into one whose very DNA is built on th
Story by Catherine Courage on July 14, 2013
Implement a “transparent” corporate e-mail system, with anyone within the organization able to search the content of any published e-mail.
Hack by Gary Hamel on April 6, 2011
Create a regularly scheduled Q and A session where the CEO and his or her peers are compelled to take questions from the broader organization, in the style of the British Prime Minister’s address to P
Hack by Gary Hamel on April 6, 2011

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