Nurturing Trust –Leveraging Knowledge :Nurturing Trust –Leveraging Knowledge November 21, 2006 Peter West Senior Consultant Continuous Innovation peter.west@continuousinnovation.ca http://www.continuousinnovation.ca/


Two Definitions of Trust*: :Nurturing Trust – Leveraging Knowledge: Peter West, Continuous Innovation, November 2006 2 Two Definitions of Trust*: A psychological state comprising the intention to accept vulnerability based upon positive expectations of the intentions or behavior of another.”(Rousseau, 1998) “The optimistic acceptance of a vulnerable situation in which the truster believes the trustee will care for the truster’s interests.” (Hall, 2001) VULNERABILITY = RISK + UNCERTAINTY


An Encounter: History :Nurturing Trust – Leveraging Knowledge: Peter West, Continuous Innovation, November 2006 3 An Encounter: History T r u s t e e T r u s t o r {History} Adapted from: Riegelsberger et al (2005) with additions from other sources


An Encounter: Channel :Nurturing Trust – Leveraging Knowledge: Peter West, Continuous Innovation, November 2006 4 An Encounter: Channel T r u s t e e T r u s t o r (Channel) (Time) (Space) {History} (Formal) (Informal)


An Encounter: Signals / Warrants (1) :Nurturing Trust – Leveraging Knowledge: Peter West, Continuous Innovation, November 2006 5 An Encounter: Signals / Warrants (1) Prior Signals T r u s t e e T r u s t o r (Channel) (Time) (Space) {History} (Formal) (Informal) Trust Warrants Trust Warrants


An Encounter: Signals / Warrants (2) :Nurturing Trust – Leveraging Knowledge: Peter West, Continuous Innovation, November 2006 6 An Encounter: Signals / Warrants (2) Prior Signals T r u s t e e T r u s t o r (Channel) (Time) (Space) {History} (Formal) (Informal) Trust Warrants Trust Warrants


An Encounter: Expectations (1) :Nurturing Trust – Leveraging Knowledge: Peter West, Continuous Innovation, November 2006 7 An Encounter: Expectations (1) Prior Signals T r u s t e e T r u s t o r (Channel) (Time) (Space) {History} (Formal) (Informal) Trust Warrants Expectations Trust Warrants


An Encounter: Expectations (2) :Nurturing Trust – Leveraging Knowledge: Peter West, Continuous Innovation, November 2006 8 An Encounter: Expectations (2) Prior Signals T r u s t e e T r u s t o r (Channel) (Time) (Space) {History} (Formal) (Informal) Trust Warrants Expectations Trust Warrants


An Encounter: Threshold/Action (1) :Nurturing Trust – Leveraging Knowledge: Peter West, Continuous Innovation, November 2006 9 An Encounter: Threshold/Action (1) Trusting Action Prior Signals T r u s t e e T r u s t o r Withdrawal (Channel) (Time) (Space) {History} (Formal) (Informal) Trust Warrants Expectations Trust Warrants Trust Threshold


An Encounter: Threshold/Action (2) :Nurturing Trust – Leveraging Knowledge: Peter West, Continuous Innovation, November 2006 10 An Encounter: Threshold/Action (2) Trusting Action Prior Signals T r u s t e e T r u s t o r Withdrawal (Channel) (Time) (Space) {History} (Formal) (Informal) Trust Warrants Expectations Trust Warrants Trust Threshold TRUST THRESHOLD: * Setting a limit on the amount of risk that is acceptable (with consideration of the benefits) TRUST ACTION: * Making the request (WITHDRAWAL) * Deciding against further interaction on this occasion


An Encounter: Threshold/Fulfillment (1) :Nurturing Trust – Leveraging Knowledge: Peter West, Continuous Innovation, November 2006 11 An Encounter: Threshold/Fulfillment (1) Trusting Action Prior Signals T r u s t e e T r u s t o r Fulfillment Withdrawal Non-fulfillment (Channel) (Time) (Space) {History} (Formal) (Informal) Trust Warrants Expectations Trust Warrants Trust Threshold Trust Threshold Expectations Trust Responsiveness


An Encounter: Threshold/Fulfillment (2) :Nurturing Trust – Leveraging Knowledge: Peter West, Continuous Innovation, November 2006 12 An Encounter: Threshold/Fulfillment (2) Trusting Action Prior Signals T r u s t e e T r u s t o r Fulfillment Withdrawal Non-fulfillment (Channel) (Time) (Space) (Formal) (Informal) Trust Warrants Expectations Trust Warrants Trust Threshold TRUST THRESHOLD: * Setting the level of benefits that should accrue (with consideration of the risks) EXPECTATIONS: * Focused on whether their knowledge will be understood; how it will be used; how it will be acknowledged, protected, etc. FULFILLMENT: * Responding to the request (NON-FULFILLMENT) * Declining to respond (on this occasion) (Beware of over-committing and under-delivering) Trust Threshold Expectations Trust Responsiveness


An Encounter: Reciprocity (1) :Nurturing Trust – Leveraging Knowledge: Peter West, Continuous Innovation, November 2006 13 An Encounter: Reciprocity (1) Trusting Action Prior Signals T r u s t e e T r u s t o r Fulfillment Withdrawal Non-fulfillment (Channel) (Time) (Space) {History} (Formal) (Informal) Trust Warrants Expectations Trust Warrants Reciprocity Trust Threshold Trust Threshold Expectations Trust Responsiveness


An Encounter: Reciprocity (2) :Nurturing Trust – Leveraging Knowledge: Peter West, Continuous Innovation, November 2006 14 An Encounter: Reciprocity (2) Trusting Action Prior Signals T r u s t e e T r u s t o r Fulfillment Withdrawal Non-fulfillment (Channel) (Time) (Space) {History} (Formal) (Informal) Trust Warrants Expectations Trust Warrants Reciprocity Trust Threshold


Trust and Knowledge Processes (1a)*: :Nurturing Trust – Leveraging Knowledge: Peter West, Continuous Innovation, November 2006 15 Trust and Knowledge Processes (1a)*: Competence-based Trust: Particularly important for transferring tacit or complex knowledge (especially when ties are weak) Benevolence-based Trust: Facilitates the transfer of explicit knowledge (and tacit when ties are strong) Six Related Strategies (for the knowledge source - trustee): Openly reveal the boundaries of your knowledge (vulnerability) Explore people beyond their work roles (personal interests) Early on, share something of value (trustworthiness of recipient)[e.g., tacit knowledge, contacts from personal network] Be receptive to exploring and refining details of request (safety) Act in a fair and transparent manner (process) Demand accountability for trust (values, practices, recognition) * Adapted from: Abrams, Cross, Lesser and Levine (2002)


Trust and Knowledge Processes (1b)*: :Nurturing Trust – Leveraging Knowledge: Peter West, Continuous Innovation, November 2006 16 Trust and Knowledge Processes (1b)*: Social Capital: Shared vision Shared language and meaning Clear and effective communication Discretion (privacy and confidentiality) Bonding (inside the organization) Bridging (outside the organization) Operationally: Trust-based (vs. power-based) Collaborative (vs. hierarchical) Encounter-friendly (vs. boundaries) Pay-for-performance (vs. position) * Adapted from: Abrams, Cross, Lesser and Levine (2002); Huotari and Iivonen (2004)


Trust and Knowledge Processes (2) *: :Nurturing Trust – Leveraging Knowledge: Peter West, Continuous Innovation, November 2006 17 Trust and Knowledge Processes (2) *: * Adapted from: Ford, Diane - Trust and Knowledge Management: The Seeds of Success / In: Handbook of Knowledge Management (2003)


Trust and KM Strategy*: :Nurturing Trust – Leveraging Knowledge: Peter West, Continuous Innovation, November 2006 18 Trust and KM Strategy*: Strategies: Codification-dominant: Object-focused – Intranets, repositories, etc. Personalization-dominant: People-focused – Communities of practice, networks, storytelling, etc. Balanced: Combination of codification and personalization Codification-dominant strategies: Organizations exhibit low levels of trust Personalization-dominant (Balanced) strategies: Organizations exhibit high levels of trust Success of KM initiatives: Greater in high trust organizations Greater with personalization strategies * Adapted from: Ribiere et al (2005, 2006 – in press)