How to Develop & Maintain Trust in a Team

Trust is a result of efforts of all the members of a team.

Building a team is a challenging and time-consuming process. Because of this, some small business owners prefer to hire family members who already have a built-in level of trust. Family teams reveal characteristics of mechanical solidarity, while a team made up of non-relatives exercises its activity on developed and maintained trust. Both a manager and team members can initiate efforts on developing and maintaining trust in a team.

Instructions

1. Build your team on the basis of merit and professional achievements in order for co-workers to respect each other. Acknowledge their achievements publicly. Good professionals often share the same values, appreciate each other's accomplishments and trust in each other.

2. Avoid discussing errors of a particular team member behind his back. Speak to each person directly and privately to indicate how each team member can improve his performance.

3. Prohibit any rumor cultivation in your team. Be attentive to any "hot stories" containing abusive, offensive or "too personal" information about your team members.

4. Make the members of your team follow the company policy without any exclusion. They must meet the same requirements and share the same ethical approach to their job. Exclude "double standards" from the professional relations. The double standard means different treatment depending on personality. Make sure all the members of your team are treated equally.

5. Distribute work in a fair manner. It happens that some assignments are well paid and easy to do while others are lower paid and difficult. To prevent hatred and lack of trust among co-workers, evaluate each assignment difficulty properly and be sure you give equivalent assignments to the professionals of the same level. Unfairness destroys trust in any organization.

6. Ask advice of your colleagues on professional topics. Show them you'd like to rely on their expertise in solving your professional problems. Simultaneously, avoid making your co-workers solve your problems for you.

7. Solve any conflict in a professional manner. This means finding constructive aspects of this conflict. For instance, if somebody does not fulfill her tasks on time and that influences other colleagues' work negatively, find out a reason for this person's poor performance. Value your own and your colleagues' reputation. If each person feels protected from any kind of abuse, trust will become an inevitable and crucial element of rapport in your team.

References

• Sociology Index: Organic Solidarity
• Dictionary.com: Double Standard
• TTG Consultants; The Five Best Ways to Build -- and Lose -- Trust in the Workplace; Dave Bowmann