{"id":2150,"date":"2014-10-21T09:15:43","date_gmt":"2014-10-21T13:15:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.trustacrossamerica.com\/blog\/?p=2150"},"modified":"2014-10-21T09:15:43","modified_gmt":"2014-10-21T13:15:43","slug":"trust-when-organizations-make-major-changes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.trustacrossamerica.com\/blog\/?p=2150","title":{"rendered":"Trust: When Organizations Make Major Changes"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"TAA_R2_EDIT-CS3\"<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Culture does not change because we desire to change it. Culture changes\u00a0when the organization is transformed \u2013 the culture reflects the realities of the people\u00a0working together every day<\/em><\/strong> \u2013\u00a0Frances Hesselbein<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Bob Whipple of LeaderGrow<\/a>\u00a0and a member of our\u00a0Trust Alliance<\/a>,\u00a0was kind enough to contribute\u00a0today’s guest blog post. He tackles the question of how\u00a0trust is impacted when organizations make major changes.<\/p>\n

When organizations make major changes, such as reorganizations, mergers, or acquisitions, the trust that was in the\u00a0 groups prior to the action is often lost quickly. This happens for a variety of reasons, as I have documented in my book Trust in Transition:<\/em> Navigating Organizational Change<\/em> <\/a>(ASTD Press, 2014)<\/p>\n

The success of the entire change process depends on trust\u2014the trust level before integration and the trust maintained during the process. It matters a lot on the conditions going into the action. There are three possible situations as follows:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. There is high trust within both groups to begin with. This is the best condition because it allows for people to weather the shock of the change, having some faith that things can work out in the end.<\/li>\n
  2. One group has high trust, but in the other one the culture has been damaged by prior leadership behaviors. The entity with higher trust will usually do better in the negotiation because there is more free flow of information and fewer problems to hide.<\/li>\n
  3. When both groups have low trust, it becomes extremely difficult to make progress because there is work to be done\u00a0around all the interpersonal issues at every juncture. If a group has low trust in their own organization before a merger, then there is little hope that they will have more trust in the other group. It becomes a real mess to unscramble.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    As the integration unfolds, the level of trust going in to a major change has a lot to do with how successful it will be.\u00a0 Make sure that you test the level of trust and keep it strong throughout the process for the best result.<\/p>\n

    Bob Whipple, MBA, CPLP, is a consultant, trainer, speaker, and author in the areas of leadership and trust.\u00a0 He is the author of: Trust in Transition: Navigating Organizational Change<\/em><\/a>, The Trust Factor: Advanced Leadership for Professionals,<\/em><\/a> Understanding E-Body Language: Building Trust Online<\/a>, <\/em>and Leading with Trust is Like Sailing Downwind<\/em><\/a>.\u00a0 Bob has many years as a senior executive with a Fortune 500 Company and with non-profit organizations.<\/p>\n

    Barbara Brooks Kimmel<\/strong>\u00a0is the Executive Director of\u00a0Trust Across America-Trust Around the World<\/a>\u00a0whose mission is to help organizations build trust. She is also the editor of the award winning\u00a0TRUST INC.<\/a>\u00a0book series. In 2012 Barbara was named \u201cOne of 25 Women Changing the World\u201d by Good Business International.<\/p>\n

    Nominations are now being accepted<\/span><\/a>\u00a0<\/span>for Trust Across America-Trust Around the World’s 5th annual Global Top Thought Leaders in Trustworthy Business.<\/p>\n

    \"Print\"<\/a>\"ND\"914Trust<\/a><\/p>\n

    \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Coming Soon!<\/strong><\/p>\n

    Should you wish\u00a0to communicate directly with Barbara, drop her a note at\u00a0Barbara@trustacrossamerica.com<\/a><\/p>\n

    Copyright \u00a9 2014, Next Decade, Inc.<\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n