High Performing Team Development

Trust Must Be Earned

Trust is considered the backbone of distributed team interaction.  Without trust, teams are less willing to communicate, collaborate, or share core knowledge.  However, trust does not materialize automatically.  Trust must be earned through the network based on actions taken and observed by each individual.  This critical trust is built from reliance.  As individuals perform as expected and deliver on required work, trust is developed.  Organizations must facilitate this reliance and thus foster the development of trust.

Paul S. Chinowsky, PhD
Professor of Civil Systems
Dept. of Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering
University of Colorado
 
 
 

Geography May Be Closing Doors

An extension of the research underlying the STAR evaluation system is focusing on the impact of geography on the STAR areas of evaluation.  The studies are clearly showing that individuals in separate offices may communicate, but show a great hesitation to take the next step and share knowledge.  However, knowledge exchange within an office does not have the same barrier.  It appears that competition for profits among offices may be creating invisible boundaries to knowledge sharing.  Look for more results in the coming issues.  Until then, check your offices to make sure doors are not closing on knowledge exchange in your networks.

Paul S. Chinowsky, PhD
Professor of Civil Systems
Dept. of Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering
University of Colorado
 
 

The Two Faces of Trust

Co-workers who are trusted appear to have four common (but many divergent) characteristics – Attention to details, Follow through, Drive/Push, and Calmness.  It turns out, however, that those who are Driven and Attentive to details, do not always appear to trust others.  Their need to review other’s work to be “better safe than sorry” and to “ensure standards” can make others feel as if they are not trusted.  If this is you, make sure to review and demonstrate effective delegation strategies, which can at least superficially help address this phenomenon.

Jared D. Locke, Ph.D.
President, Carr & Associates
 
 

The Role of Skepticism in Trust and Communication

Twenty years of studying team success has shown me that team member skepticism plays a major role in terms of the team’s Communication and Trust.  Skeptics can analyze pitfalls, search for weak links, and focus energy on project weak points – a truly objective evaluation can lead to better project outcomes.  Focusing almost solely on what went wrong or could go wrong, however, weakens trust and shortens communication.  I suggest these strategies for maximizing success.  First, the team leader should create a healthy environment of open discussion.  Second, the team should schedule a start/stop point for critical analyses.  Third, new solutions should always be presented with criticism.

Jared D. Lock, Ph.D.
President, Carr & Associates