The Hidden Power of Social Networks: Understanding How Work Really Gets Done in Organizations by Robert L. Cross & Andrew Parker

Author:Robert L. Cross & Andrew Parker
Language: eng
Format: mobi
ISBN: 9781633691537
Publisher: Harvard Business Review Press
Published: 2004-06-01T14:00:00+00:00

Help People Refine Unclear Ideas

Many important situations in organizations are inherently ambiguous, where problem resolution requires framing to make sure that the right problem is being solved. However, the spoken or unspoken norm of many leaders in Corporate America is: “Come to me with solutions, not problems.” Welcoming exploration and potentially ill-formed thoughts and solutions at appropriate junctures can be critical to the development of trust in a relationship. In many situations, people who are seeking information are not completely sure of the question they are asking, let alone the answer. People who encourage inquiry in problem solving are viewed as more trustworthy than those who don’t tolerate ambiguity or exploration.

Make Decisions Fair and Transparent

Although our interviews emphasized the relationship between an information seeker and a source, we also found that trust in management “trickled down” to influence trust between employees. At issue are both fairness (applying rules equally to individuals) and transparency (revealing how and why rules are applied). The extent to which management was able to incorporate fairness and transparency into decision-making processes played a role in how people viewed their relationships with others in the organization.

For example, many of our interviewees complained that the standards for promotions and rewards were not always clear and did not seem to be applied equally. This lack of equity, or at least transparency, in decisions influenced the general perception of trustworthiness across a range of topics and colleagues. One interviewee critiqued his organization’s promotion system, indicating that mistrust led to “an inbred organization” and cast suspicion on all the reward systems. In fact, throughout the interviews, promotions and promotion standards were one of the hot buttons, along with career path, salary, and evaluations. When these were viewed as unfair, employees began to perceive even inconsequential comments with suspicion. Rather than trusting someone’s word, facts, or opinion, people felt that they had to check and double-check what was said. Furthermore, by playing cards close to the chest, employees did not engage in discussions or put forth ideas that might not be considered absolutely correct for fear of the consequences.

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