Trust is a challenge in today’s organizations. Even though trustworthiness is generally recognized as an important managerial attribute, the reality is that leaders are falling short in this area. According to Tolero Solutions, 45 percent of employees say lack of trust in leadership is the biggest issue impacting work performance.
Two new research reports just published by The Ken Blanchard Companies point to strategies that learning and development leaders can use to improve the level of trust in their organizations.
Drawing on an 1,800-person survey, the study looked at the connections between coaching and trust behaviors and employee intentions to:
- Remain with an organization;
- Apply discretionary effort;
- Be a good organizational citizen;
- Perform work at high levels; and
- Endorse the organization as a good place to work.
Results of the survey show that trust in one’s leader has a large degree of correlation to the five intentions as a distinct unit.
The research also looked at the impact coaching behaviors had on trust. There was a strong relationship between trust and the coaching behaviors of facilitating, inspiring, and guiding—and it was found that individuals are more likely to trust their leader when they perceive the leader exhibiting these coaching behaviors.
You can read more about the new research in the January issue of Ignite!—Blanchard’s monthly briefing for leadership and talent development executives. Access the January issue here.
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