Concurrents – Environmental Psychology: Designing for Trust

by Sally Augustin, Ph.D. | August 14th, 2017

Paul Zak, in the January-February 2017 issue of the Harvard Business Review (“The Neuroscience of Trust”) details how organizations can build “a culture of trust.” Trust is important because, as Zak reports, “Employees in high-trust organizations are more productive, have more energy at work, collaborate better with their colleagues, and stay with their employers longer than people working at low-trust companies. They also suffer less chronic stress and are happier with their lives, and these factors fuel stronger performance.” Zak’s body of research has “identified eight management behaviors that foster trust.” Some of these can be more directly influenced by workplace design than others. Zak shares that the trust-fostering management behaviors are: >“Recognize excellence… >Induce ‘challenge stress’… >Give people discretion in how they do their work… >Enable job crafting… >Share information broadly… >Intentionally build relationships… >Facilitate whole person growth… >Show vulnerability.” There are many ways to recognize excellence, some of …