The Dynamic Character of Trust: Building Values and Wellbeing in the Workplace

On April 7, the 302^nd anniversary of the Transitus of the Founder, St. John Baptist De La Salle, it seemed providential that the topic to be discussed in SDRC’s webinar for that day had to do with perceptions of trust. Visiting Researcher Angela Gomez Dominguez, a PhD candidate in Sociology at the Universidad Nacional de Educacion a Distancia in Madrid, introduced her presentation with the premise that “Trust is built on actions more than words, how these actions are perceived…and the relevancy they have …to personal work values.” The relationship between the Founder and the LaSallian community, which aspires to follow his example and continue in his mission, could be aptly reflected in this premise.

Sharing findings from her study on “Trust and its Perception in the Organizational Context – Philippines Case,” which was conducted parallel to a qualitative analysis in Spain on “Working Values for the Generations in the Workplace: Is there a real need for radical transformation?”, Ms. Dominguez spoke of how vitally important it is for companies to understand what employees value most, based on the elements through which they build trust. Applying her knowledge of the development and intention of trust, the phases of confidence development, and the types of trust that exist—between co-workers (horizontal), between supervisors and employees or vice versa (vertical), and between supervisors and organizations (institutional)—she embarked on her data collection. In the Philippine case, she conducted semi-structured interviews (which allowed respondents to express individual opinions and experiences, and did not restrict the order in which the questions could be asked) with 15 individuals belonging to Generations X and Y, from both the public and private sectors, with an average age of 32 years.

From her analysis of the interview responses, Ms. Dominguez concluded that the importance of the three dimensions of trust (integrity, benevolence and competence) can vary depending on the characteristics of relationships—their duration, type of collaboration, whether they are friendships—but that the dynamic aspect of trust is built and developed through positive mutual interactions. She also noted that trust-based beliefs are important, but are not the only determinant of trust intention—if subordinates do not believe that their supervisor is competent, honest or benevolent, they are not likely to want to rely on that supervisor. Trust and security likewise lead to the development of feelings toward the person in whom trust is invested. Thus, if they want to develop positive personal relationships with their subordinates, supervisors should spend more time with them to help them feel more comfortable and safe. Most importantly, she shared that “supervisors and subordinates are partners in social exchange,” such that mutual trust can result in greater productivity and devotion to the job.

Interaction between Ms. Dominguez and webinar viewers on Zoom and Facebook Live led to a discussion on whether a strong form of trust could be possible if the “trustee” is more powerful than the “trustor” (“in the study, although power is held by the supervisor (the ‘trustor’)…if the supervisor is perceived as being benevolent, competent, and consistent, it has a direct impact on how the ‘trustee’ will respond…There is equal strength in the relationship”), and how trust could be measured and strengthened when the workplace is digitalized (“…given the dynamic character of trust, there is a need to monitor trust in the workforce. Measures can be put in place through surveys where employees show how they are feeling…you want to know what each values most, you want to integrate everyone”).

The conversation also revolved around whether the type of organizational structure contributes to the development of trust (“It can definitely have an impact, mostly with regard to communication… it is important to keep open communication and transparency as long as mechanisms are in place”), and whether working in teams was more effective compared to supervisor-subordinate arrangements (“…teams are always led by someone. The fact that there is more than one person reporting to the same person might influence a relationship with colleagues, or who you trust within the team, but I don’t think there is a difference”).

As the Philippine case study was conducted parallel to a thesis done in Spain with similar participants, Ms. Dominguez shared comparisons between the two groups and cultures. Filipino and Spanish respondents agree that trust means “feeling comfortable in their environment,” but the former also see it as “working without being micromanaged” while the latter feel it is “support(ing) itself in the team.” For Filipinos, placing trust in others comes about after observing colleagues’ relationships with other colleagues, while for the Spanish, it develops if the same interests are shared and if the colleague is experienced in his or her role. In her assessment, Ms. Dominguez observed that both groups “are quick to trust each other” as they share the quality of being “very open and welcoming.” After five centuries of acquaintance, this is one discovery that can be affirmed with confidence.