Rebuilding Trust: A Five-Step Process for Human-Centered Alignment, Engagement and Growth

Mergers, spinoffs, downsizing, dictatorial bosses, unrealistic objectives, and the demand to return to the office—these are just some of the forces wreaking havoc in our workplaces today. Most of us consider trauma as stemming from monumental events, and yet trauma also arises from more subtle, repetitive experiences—like repeatedly being told we’re doing something incorrectly and we’re getting ahead of ourselves or seeing our colleagues being laid off. As these micro-traumas accumulate workers begin to question their value and place in the organization.

Unaddressed, corporate trauma erodes the very foundation of trust within an organization, exacerbating today’s pervasive sense of disconnection, fear, and frustration. Trust, the bedrock of relationships, is essential for cultivating environments where people feel safe, valued and able to contribute meaningfully. Yet, we are witnessing a profound trust gap between employees and leaders. For example, Edelman’s 2024 Trust Barometer found that 61% of people believe business leaders “are purposely trying to mislead [them] by saying things they know are false or gross exaggerations”—a statistic that directly impacts productivity and engagement. Without trust, employees disengage, and organizations suffer.

Corporate Trauma: An Unspoken Epidemic

While many companies focus on performance metrics and short-term gains, they often fail to acknowledge the psychological damage caused by the very systems meant to enhance productivity. The effects of corporate trauma ripple throughout organizations, leading to low employee engagement, burnout and mental health challenges—costing businesses $8.9 trillion annually according to Gallup. Despite longitudinal studies and further investment into research, a valid solution has not been found, likely because the issue is being investigated from the same mindset that created the problem. Addressing the issue demands a radical departure from traditional management models, moving toward an approach that places humanness and trust at the very center.

Corporate trauma, much like personal trauma, must first be acknowledged before it can be healed. Just as we speak of businesses having a “heart” and brands having a “soul,” we must recognize that organizations, like the very people who work there, are susceptible to trauma. Healing this trauma is key to reviving trust, fostering cultures of belonging and creating workplaces where individuals can flourish.

There’s little doubt that collective organizational trauma contributes to employees feeling unsafe and afraid. When in this state of anxiety, our survival instincts kick in and our brains move into a high beta state—a condition that causes us to react from fear rather than the intentionality required to innovate solutions to ongoing challenges. Restoring innate human qualities such as honesty, tolerance, patience, vulnerability, interconnectedness, and purpose will help revive the heart of business, the soul of brands, and the spirit of the people who work within them.

Restoring Trust: A Prerequisite for Thriving Organizations

Trust is a prerequisite for building environments where people feel empowered and engaged. Without it, workers become disengaged, productivity stalls, and innovation stagnates. Research by Paul Zak, a leading neuroeconomist, and meta-analysis published in the Journal of Happiness Studies underscore how trust directly correlates with worker happiness, which in turn impacts overall productivity and satisfaction. Rebuilding trust requires more than just transparency and communication—it necessitates a deep understanding of the relational and emotional dimensions of work.

Deloitte has highlighted that engaged employees are significantly more productive and profitable (23% according to Gallup research) and are less likely to leave their organizations. Yet sustaining such conscious performance is challenging. Studies continue to confirm that incentives, performance measurement tools and wellbeing measures simply are not working. Deloitte’s research further has affirmed that more than two-thirds (68%) of workers do not use the full value of well-being resources offered by their organizations due to accessibility issues.

Building on Deloitte’s insights, McKinsey analysis shows that establishing a deeper connection between the work employees are doing and its higher meaning is vital, as those with a higher sense of purpose are less likely to leave or disengage. By aligning cultural purpose with commercial power, organizations can achieve sustained growth and success through a holistic operating model that is flexible, adaptive, intuitive, creative and collaborative.

The Five-Step Humanness Process: Healing Corporate Trauma and Rebuilding Trust

With disconnection, burnout and disengagement at an all-time high, reconnecting with our humanity is a necessity, not simply an option. Humanness brings together a team united by a shared belief that the future of business lies in restoring the human element at the core of every organization. With decades of collective experience in brand development, corporate transformation and leadership coaching, we integrate modern business acumen with ancient traditions and spirituality to frame a holistic approach to healing corporate trauma and rebuilding trust. By tapping into a creative brainwave alpha-state, we help individuals and organizations find balance between rational thinking and creativity, unlocking the potential for transformation. Utilizing mythology, ceremony, and neuroscience, we further create flow and harmony across an organization—establishing the psychological safety and belongingness necessary to nurture talent and relationships while increasing productivity.

Our process offers a vital framework for cultivating organizations that thrive on cohesion, purpose and innovation. We guide leaders to foster environments in which employees are empowered to deliver their best work, driving sustainable success. In a landscape where traditional approaches to engagement and productivity are failing, the Humanness process provides the foundation for a future that nurtures both the heart and the soul of business.

Our five-step process is as follows:

1.?Mythologizing: Uncovering the Truths Behind the Story

The first step involves exploring the founding mythology of an organization. Through one-on-one conversations, employees share their perceptions of the company’s story and their role within it. Individual and collective narratives intersect, revealing the truths and misconceptions that shape organizational culture. Employees also recognize they are part of a larger narrative, aligning their personal values with the organization’s purpose. This discovery phase is vital for restoring coherence and identifying pathways to rebuild trust.

2.?Dreaming: Finding Common Purpose to Inspire the Present Into the Future

During the Dreaming phase, employees from all levels participate in exercises designed to help them envision the future of the organization. This stage is not about abstract goals or corporate jargon; it’s about aligning individual purpose with the company’s mission and articulating the values that underpin this purpose in ways that foster both emotional and intellectual engagement. These shared values are later used to craft a shared vision for the future that drives collective action.

3.??Prototyping: Establishing Values and Behaviors

Here the shared values and vision uncovered during Dreaming are translated into actionable behaviors. Employees embark on their own Hero’s Journey, aligning their personal growth with the organization’s evolution. Engaging in immersive activities, they begin to embody the organization’s values, providing clarity on how these ideals should manifest in day-to-day operations. This step is critical for embedding the new culture within the organization and ensuring that values are lived, not just espoused.

4.??Enrollment: Informing Operational Action

Enrollment is the stage in which processes are redesigned in light of the shared values, challenging teams to rethink structures that foster greater trust, creativity and collaboration. Leaders and employees alike take responsibility for embedding their learnings into functional roles and business processes. This phase ensures that trust-building and transformation are not relegated to abstract ideals but, rather, are applied concretely in decision-making and operations.

5.??Awakening: Taking Responsibility for Transformation

Awakening is not the end of the journey but a new beginning—part of an ongoing cycle of reflection, recalibration and renewal. In this phase, resistance is managed, and motivation is fostered through shared values, ensuring the organization continues to evolve. Employees and leaders alike are encouraged to take personal responsibility for sustaining the momentum of change. Regular recalibrations help the organization stay aligned with its evolving values and purpose. It’s here that the seeds of long-term cultural change are sown, continuously nurturing trust, creativity and cohesion, fueling each new iteration of growth and transformation.

The Time for Transformation Is Now

It’s clear we can no longer afford to ignore corporate trauma—societally or economically. In taking the first step and acknowledging it, we will pave the way to transform our workplaces into thriving environments, where people feel valued. Tapping into a creative brainwave alpha-state, we can build organizations where individuals are empowered to reach their fullest potential and where businesses flourish on a foundation of harmony and purpose. There’s no time to waste. Now is the time to embark on this journey toward a more human and prosperous business sector.