Improved trust fosters improved results: trust is an essential and fragile commodity in organizations. The county administrator for Gallatin County, Montana, shares some lessons about giving and gaining trust.

The Public Manager › Vol. 38 Nbr. 3, September 2009

Author: Mathers, Earl

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Improved trust fosters improved results: trust is an essential and fragile commodity in organizations. The county administrator for Gallatin County, Montana, shares some lessons about giving and gaining trust.

On many occasions, I have referred to communication as the lubricant that enables organizations to function smoothly. However, trust in organizations is even more fundamental. Without trust, effective communication is impeded and organizational performance suffers.

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Stephen Covey refers to trust as the "lifeblood" of organizations, and there is little doubt that success is strongly influenced by the level of an organization's trust quotient. Taking this analogy one step further, I contend that trust is to organizations as hemoglobin is to the human body. It carries the essential life-giving "oxygen" necessary for survival and if it is compromised, the organizational body will suffer varying degrees of distress. In terms of quality of work life, trust is enormously important.

When public resources are severely constrained as they are today, strengthening the trust dynamic becomes even more crucial as a m...

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