In a study published by the Ken Blanchard Companies , the link between trust and leadership was reiterated. While the link is by no means surprising ( Victor Lipman compares it to the predictability of where the sun rises and sets), the new data can encourage leaders to focus on building trust in the organization.
There has already been much data linking trust and leadership. Daniel McAllister, a researcher who has focused on trust in the workplace, has completed research which shows how trust enables people to take risks, as they don’t anticipate getting taken advantage of. In one study, McAllister defines two elements of trust — cognitive and affective. Cognitive trust includes the sense that one knows a sufficient amount about the person in question, and that this information provides «good reason» to trust. Affective trust takes into account the social and emotional bonds made between people.
In the Blanchard study, 1850 participants across many organizations, and based in a variety of countries, were surveyed.
