Tending the garden: Repairing organizational trust damaged as a result of turmoil

Organizational trust is a complex foundational construct for business. Trust between workers and their organizations can help strengthen organizations and can assist organization in achieving their missions. Workplace turmoil can damage and even destroy trust. Once trust is damaged, a decision is needed. Deciding not to repair damaged organizational trust has consequences. And deciding to attempt trust repair poses other challenges. This study examined the role of organizational trust and the importance of repairing damaged organizational trust by drawing upon organizational theory and using three real-world examples from business. Using Evidence-Based Research Synthesis (EBRS) as the research methodology, this study explored the literature and synthesized the findings in order to help to determine what the critical factors are in repairing damaged organizational trust.;Studying both organizational trust and the repair of damaged organizational trust may help managers recognize the importance of maintaining trust and make clear the problems of not repairing it. Twelve critical factors and associated findings emerged from this study: 1) Awareness: Trust cannot be ignored. Before the trust between workers and organizations can be firmly established, the importance of that bond needs to be recognized; 2) Commitment: The strength of the level of trust before turmoil is a good indicator of the strength of the level of trust remaining after turmoil; 3) Focus: Organizational trust is a competitive advantage, but damaged organizational trust negatively influences operations, decision-making and teamwork; 4) Compassion: Workers experience and react to damaged organizational trust on a personal level. Once trust is damaged, workers often classify the damage as a personal violation and then re-evaluate other aspects of the organization; 5) Innovation: There is no single way successfully to repair damaged organizational trust; 6) Persistence: Once trust is damaged, it must be acknowledged; the magnitude of effort that is required to attempt to repair trust needs to be understood; 7) Responsiveness: Quick reactions to breaches of trust are more effective at repairing trust than slower interventions; 8) Honesty: Trust repair has the best chance of success if both the trustor and the trustee are truthful; the least chance of success if both the trustor and the trustee remain silent; 9) Discernment: In breaches of trust, a single error of competency is often viewed as a mistake, whereas a single error of integrity is often viewed as a signal of greater dishonesty. Integrity breaches are more harmful to trust than competency breaches; 10) Sincerity: In breaches of trust, there is an apology hierarchy: a) For integrity-based mistakes, apologies are most effective with external attributions of blame; and, b) For competency-based mistakes, apologies are most effective with internal attributions of blame along with retribution; 11) Honor: Acknowledgment, silence, apologies, denials and offers of redress are all potentially helpful positive mitigation responses to damaged trust; and, 12) Dedication: Damaged organizational trust can be repaired, but perhaps not returned to the original level of trust.