In my experience mobilizing communities to embrace large-scale change, I have learned that authentic communityengagement moves at the speed of trust. And, while most of us deeply appreciate the importance of trust-building, too often in our eagerness to launch into “the work” little time is actually invested and focused on intentionally building trust amongst partners.
In my new paper, Turf, Trust, Co-Creation and Collective Impact, I explore the intricacies of trust, how to build it and what can be done when trust is broken. I leverage the work and experience of my own history as well as the research and reflections of several authors and practitioners to better understand the impact trust has on one's self, one's personal and professional relationships, and even the impact it has on one's relationship with society.
According to Charles Feltman in the Thin Book of Trust, trust is “choosing to risk making something you value vulnerable to the other person’s actions.” There is a reciprocal relationship in trust. We have to risk vulnerability in order to gain trust. An individual’s willingness to risk is based on their assessment of the probability that the other person will support you. Feltman identifies four ‘distinctions’ that come into play when an individual considers risk:
Understanding the neuroscience behind building trusting relationships is only the first step. There is much to consider about the connections between building trust, human decision making, our perceptions of connectedness and engagement, how much stress we feel about the situation we are in and our resulting behaviour. This deeper understanding of trust is useful as it offers insights about how we can intentionally cultivate and sustain the necessary trust to work collaboratively with others on shared issues and opportunities.
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