{"id":3107,"date":"2016-01-29T13:37:03","date_gmt":"2016-01-29T18:37:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.trustacrossamerica.com\/blog\/?p=3107"},"modified":"2016-01-29T13:37:03","modified_gmt":"2016-01-29T18:37:03","slug":"lessons-on-trust-organizational-justice-from-chicago-rahm-emanuel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.trustacrossamerica.com\/blog\/?p=3107","title":{"rendered":"Lessons on Trust & Organizational Justice from Chicago & Rahm Emanuel"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Rahm Emanuel, besieged by angry crowds clamoring for his resignation or recall, now admits, \u201cWe have a trust problem<\/a>.\u201d Well, Duh. We think both Chicago and its Mayor have some strong and graphic lessons in trust to share with CEOs, Boards, C-Suites, CCOs, government officials, and even some of the political candidates for our nation\u2019s highest office<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The authors have a particular interest in trust and culture development, and have carefully followed Chicago\u2019s protests for this reason. In any organization (corporation, government agency, city or nation), trust is a precious and highly valued commodity. Trust, like all other elements comprising an organization\u2019s culture, can\u2019t be bought or \u201cdelegated\u201d by its leaders<\/a>, but evolves organically in direct proportion to individuals\u2019 perception of transparency, honesty, fair play and organizational justice. Trust Across America-Trust Around the World (TAA-TAW) has offered some guidance for community leaders<\/a> seeking to build a culture of trust and transparency that provides a good starting point.<\/p>\n

Leaders of any organization always find their words and actions carefully scrutinized<\/a> by their constituents including employees, voters, and others affected by their leadership. Senior leadership of companies would be well advised to think of their organization\u2019s level of trust as the fluctuating result of the \u201cripple effect<\/a>\u201d of leadership\u2019s words and actions at any given point in time. When leadership\u2019s actions match its words, positive ripples of trust occur. Similarly, when leadership\u2019s actions do not match its words, or do not reflect consistent values or transparency, negative ripples result. It\u2019s human nature for employees, voters, and other constituencies to have a natural, basic hunger for organizational justice \u2013 the sense that the rules of the organization are fully transparent and apply equally to everyone. Every police force needs its citizenry to feel that its actions are moderated by protocols and rules (consistently applied), and every community hungers for leaders who act with transparency, trustworthiness and a sense of organizational justice.<\/p>\n

Experts in the field of organizational trust and ethics often point to the value of organizational justice in successful \u201clayoff\u201d programs by companies faced with a business need to reduce the number of certain groups of employees, whether due to a simple \u201cdownsizing\u201d or a corporate merger, consolidation or relocation of company offices. Despite the effects on both those employees that are laid off and the remaining \u201csurvivors,\u201d fairness and consistency in the procedure to carry out the layoff program has a notable and positive effect on both parties and the organization. Former RAND expert on organizational justice, Jerald Greenberg, says that such recalls go well where<\/a>:<\/p>\n