No matter what the organizational vision is, if I don’t trust top leadership the vision doesn’t matter much to me.If I don’t trust my immediate supervisor I will probably be looking for a way to get away from him or her – either inside or outside of the organization.

I would be interested to hear what others out there think. Can an organization build trust or is it really only people who can build trust?

1. Create and communicate the organization’s vision – people need to know where the organization is headed, which allows them to compare the actions of their leaders to the organization’s values.

2. Foster a personal sense of fairness – people in the organization need to have the security that everyone is treated fairly.

3. Cherish change agents/whistle blowers – retribution for speaking out ruins any sense of trust whereas valuing your change agents cultivates an environment of trust and openness.

4. Build in checks and balances re: access to information and decision making – when information is shared openly, it creates an environment where trust can blossom.

5. Ensure procedural fairness – Research indicates that employees who perceive that the organization does a good job regarding procedural fairness have a greater willingness to accept decisions, have trust in their leader, are more committed to the organization, and exhibit good organizational citizenship behaviors.