The driving force behind exemplary success stories

The Psychology of Team Dynamics: Why Trust Matters

It goes beyond tools and processes

Somewhere back in the 1960s, a scientist working in a manufacturing company had an accidental discovery whilst trying to create something different.

Upon his encounter, he realised the discovery he made could have other applications than the original scope of his work. He identified a need based on a small hindrance one of his colleague was experiencing, and together they worked to come up with a solution.

Soon after they finalised their work they presented it to the company’s bosses and the idea took off.

Much of this story’s success is attributed to the company’s tradition of encouraging employees to share their ideas with their leaders, as well as the truthful appreciation given from senior management to employees.

The story is none other than the discovery of 3M’s Post-it Notes.

A rather truly remarkable illustration of trust within a business.

Humans and trust

Well, what is trust? In its purest form:

Trust is the belief or confidence that one person has in another person, organization, or entity to act honestly, reliably, and in their best interest.

To put it into perspective, it is a fundamental building block of human relationships that enables individuals to cooperate, form bonds, and work together effectively. It affects individuals in deciding whether and how they will or will not interact with other people.

Some researchers believe that trust has evolutionary roots. Trusting others is related directly with survival and reproductive advantages in early human societies by promoting cooperation and resource sharing.

Without trust, social cohesion would be difficult to achieve.

Team dynamics

Same principles apply into team dynamics. After all, teams are comprised of individuals.

Trust is probably the most impactful factor within the dynamics of a team (our definition of dynamics here refers to the forces or properties which stimulate growth, development, or change within a system or process). And unsurprisingly so.

Similarly to the application of trust in real life, forming cohesion within a team can prove challenging without it.

Differences and similarities between personal life and business

Differences and similarities exist on how trust pervades each domain.

Some of the differences are:

• Source: Trust at work is primarily based on competency of work — meaning the individual can be relied upon to carry out their professional responsibilities. In contrast, in personal life it is often built on emotional bonds, shared experiences, and personal connections.
• Structure: The structure is formed differently in the sense that professional structure is more formal and more “artificially” made (through mediums such as contracts or hierarchies that have to be followed) whereas in personal life trust often relies on unspoken understandings and mutual respect.
• Tolerances: We tend to have a much higher tolerance towards imperfections when it comes to personal contexts. However, that is not the case on a professional level as errors can have financial, legal, or reputational consequences.

On the other hand, the similarities can be fascinating:

• Emotional Safety: In both areas, trust is placed on individuals that we feel emotional safety with. We tend to trust (more than the others at least), people that are ready to listen to us without judging and can give us genuine guidance for something we need help with.
• Reliability: We tend to rely on and put our faith onto individuals that we can rely upon. Honesty must transcend both words and actions, meaning that we trust people that do what they say they will do. We trust friends that indeed have our backs in tough moments, but we also trust colleagues that do what they said they’d do and to the quality they committed to achieve.
• Building Trust Over Time: In both personal and work relationships, trust is not established instantly. It requires time, consistency, and reliability. Trust grows as individuals observe each other’s behaviour and dependability.

Why trust matters

For excellence to become a habit, you need to define a shared approach to working together. The main ingredient is trust.

Why does trust matter?

First of all, it breaks down intellectual fragmentation which directly translates into better flow of ideas and exchange of information — both critical elements for facilitating innovation.

Furthermore, when team members trust each other, their interpersonal relationships feel more genuine. This means higher productivity output from a team, higher probabilities of better solutions to be generated, and a more seamless collaboration.

What’s more, trust directly correlates to — among other metrics — 106% more energy at work, 74% less stress, 50% higher productivity, 76% more engagement, and 40% less burnout.

Also, according to Google psychological safety — a shared belief that the team is safe for interpersonal risk-taking — is the most important factor in building a successful team. It stems from mutual respect and trust.

Not to mention that it nurtures consilience — the linking together of principles from different disciplines.

Last but not least, trust solidifies loyalty on team level, but also on organisation level.

The bottom line

Trust is a fundamental aspect of effective collaboration between teams. And as obvious as it is, applying it is easier said than done.

The evidence is there however and business leaders need to put in the work to make it happen and foster it throughout their teams.

If we are to be successful in our endeavours and seek the best possible results, we must be empathetic with our colleagues, listen to each other genuinely, create an environment of psychological safety, and have each other’s best interests in mind.

Only then we can achieve extraordinary results.