Want To Build a High-Performing Team? – It All Starts with Trust

Trust is the foundation of any successful team. As executive team development coach George Karseras reminds us that without trust, you're left with a culture of backside covering, unresolved conflicts, and a lot of finger-pointing. That's why building trust is crucial for any leader looking to build a high-performing team.??

Trust comes in different forms??

Did you know that there are actually two different but equally important forms of trust that are crucial to building a cohesive team that delivers results???

The first type of trust is cognitive-based trust, which is built on what we imagine about someone's ability and character. It's the kind of trust we form when we believe someone is reliable, competent, and dependable. We base this on their CV, reputation, or who they've worked with in the past. It's the kind of trust we feel when we know we can count on someone to deliver. Research shows that cognitive-based trust is critical for teams operating in high-risk environments such as healthcare, aviation, and military settings, where lives can be at stake (Mayer et al., 1995).?

The second type of trust is emotion-based trust, which is built more on the degree of emotional connection we feel toward others, based on the quality of the relationship we actually have with that person. This type of trust isn't based on expectations of competence, but on the feelings we experience due to the quality of the relationship we have with that person. Emotion-based trust is crucial for building psychological safety in teams, where members feel comfortable taking interpersonal risks (Edmondson, 1999).?

Now, some might argue that one type of trust is more important than the other. But the truth is, great teams build interpersonal trust by rapidly accruing high levels of both cognitive and emotion-based trust and layering on more of both over time. It's not an either/or proposition. Both types of trust are necessary for building a cohesive, high-performing team.?

Context matters?

The emphasis on one type of trust over the other can vary depending on the context of the team. In some extreme teams, where competence is paramount, cognitive-based trust has a much higher currency than emotion-based trust. Before we even meet someone, we gain knowledge about their competence, background, or reputation, and based on this information, we adjust our trust levels. On our first meeting, we alter our trust levels again, depending on whether our initial hypotheses of their competence and integrity are confirmed or confounded.??

However, in other teams, emotion-based trust might be more important. Research shows that emotion-based trust is critical for building trust and collaboration in creative and innovative teams (Carmeli & Schaubroeck, 2006).?

Creating a culture of trust for best results?

Research suggests that it’s important to create a culture of trust where team members feel safe and supported to speak up and be themselves. This requires leaders to be vulnerable and open with their team members, modelling the behaviour they want to see in their team. To get the best out of their team members, it’s important to build high levels of psychological safety and set a clear direction together, so that team members can be vulnerable with each other, be empathic, and learn together (George Karseras, 2022).?

So, which is it? Do we prioritise cognitive-based trust or emotion-based trust? The answer is that it depends. In the early days of working in a new team, cognitive-based trust is likely to be less powerful than the cognitions we form of their competence and integrity, especially in extreme teams where jobs are on the line and lives are at stake. But over time, as we witness helpfulness and build emotional connections, our emotional levels of trust start to move, and the two types of trust become intertwined.?

The takeaway?

In conclusion, building trust is a complex process that requires a combination of both cognitive-based trust and emotion-based trust. Whether one is more important than the other depends on the context of the team.??

But one thing is for sure: trust is essential for the success of any team, and great teams build interpersonal trust by rapidly accruing high levels of both types of trust and layering on more of both over time. As leaders, it’s up to us to create an environment where trust can flourish and where our teams can thrive.??

For a fascinating discussion about how to build better teams using trust as a foundation, listen to episode 29 “Build Better Teams” of The Chief Psychology Officer podcast featuring Dr Amanda Potter CPsychol and guest speaker? George Karseras : www.thecpo.co.uk ?

Written by Kristian Lees Bell , Business Psychologist at Zircon?

References:?

Episode 29. George Kaseras: Build Better Teams. The Chief Psychology Officer podcast. https://www.thecpo.co.uk?

Carmeli, A., & Schaubroeck, J. (2006). The influence of leaders' and other referents' normative expectations on individual involvement in creative work. The Leadership Quarterly, 17(3), 245-262.?

Edmondson, A. (1999). Psychological safety and learning behavior in work teams. Administrative Science Quarterly, 44(2), 350-383.?

Karseras, G. (2022). Build Better Team: Creating Winning Teams in the Digital-Age. FIU Business Press. Chapter 9, p.173?

Mayer, R. C., Davis, J. H., & Schoorman, F. D. (1995). An integrative model of organizational trust. Academy of Management Review, 20(3), 709-734.?

Pellegrini, E. K., & Scandura, T. A. (2008). Paternalistic leadership: A review and agenda for future research. Journal of Management, 34(3), 566-593.?