Trust is the foundation of all human interactions, and the cornerstone upon which high-performing organizational cultures are built. The Organizational Trust Index was developed by the Breckenridge Institute as a method for measuring the level of trust in an organization and the degree to which an organization’s culture is either motivated by trust or driven by fear. Managers have two choices. They can either consciously build organizational trust, or they can allow day-to-day issues, ineffective communication, and misperception to erode trust and develop a fear-based culture. The six perspectives of the Organizational Trust Index(TM) can help managers evaluate the level of trust in their organization, determine the degree to which their culture is either motivated by trust or driven by fear, and provide a step-by-step process for building a culture that is based on trust.

Trust is often thought of in terms of individual people and one-on-one relationships, for example we trust our co-workers, direct reports, or our boss. But organizational trust means that we trust the organizational structures, systems, and culture within which we work. Unlike trusting individuals, the interdependent actions and interactions of structures, systems, and culture can reach a level of combinatorial complexity where the system takes on a life of its own and almost no one can change it. As one manager remarked to a direct report’s request for more resources to better serve customers, I know you’re disappointed in this decision Jane, but our system just doesn’t allow us to do what you want. The degree to which managers or staff members either trust the structures, systems, and culture within which they work, or fear them, is a window into the underlying patterns of behavior, belief structure, and tacit assumptions of an organization’s culture. The Organizational Trust Index(TM) consists of six perspectives Truth, Integrity, Power, Competency, Values, and Recognition.