Practical guide for trust building in meetings and network

Anne ny

Professor Anne Haugen Gausdal from University College of Southeast Norway and her research fellow, research professor Helge Svare at the Work Research Institute, have developed a practical guide (in Norwegian) for building trust in meetings and networks. The guide, which is based on eleven published peer-review articles and book chapters, has received good attention from Norwegian media. It was mentioned in an article at the website Forskning.no http://forskning.no/2017/09/slik-skaper-du-tillit-i-moter/produsert-og-finansiert-av/hogskolen-i-sorost-norge (where it became one of the 20 most popular articles in September), Dagens Perspektiv, Ukeavisen Ledelse and at HSN website: https://min.usn.no/ansatte/aktuelt/informasjon-alle-ansatte/slik-skaper-du-tillit-i-moter-article210940-29158.html

The guide was created to enable trust building in scenarios, like in network creation or cooperative business operations, where people unknown to each other are grouped together to reach common goals. “If you do not trust others, you will have restricted capacity to learn from them,” states Anne H. Gausdal. She has, in cooperation with Helge Svare, observed and studied business meetings and cooperation’s for many years. They have discovered that trust not only ease knowledge sharing between people, but also enhance the level of innovation within companies and throughout networks.

The two researchers have also identified five factors which together enhance the level of trust, and these are:

  1. Gathering people: Physical meetings are important to create bonds of trust.
  2. Communication: Frequently and high-quality communication ease the creation of trust.
  3. Temporary group: Placing people in groups with “strangers” to solve tasks forge stronger bonds.
  4. Sharing resources: Sharing resources like competence, time and knowledge increase trust between individuals and groups.
  5. Direction: Common goals, vision and language contributes to a higher level of trust.

The guide presents a method which might be perceived as different from “normal” communication and networking methods, but according to Gausdal different is the way to go to increase knowledge sharing which enhance business processes and innovation.

The guide itself is published at http://www.hioa.no/Om-HiOA/Senter-for-velferds-og-arbeidslivsforskning/AFI/AFI-dokumenter/node_107543/Praktiske-veiledere-i-dynamiske-evner-og-tillitsbygging (open access)