Dennis
and Michelle Reina, principals in an organization- development firm, believe more
productive and rewarding work environments will emerge if relationships that define them are
truly built on trust. The problem they see is years of "downsizing, restructuring, and
reengineering or of upsizing, mergers, and growth" that frequently result in minor misreadings
of
intention along with major breaches of promise--followed all too often by seriously diminished
employee performance. The solution they propose in Trust & Betrayal in the Workplace is
that leaders must develop a full understanding of the complex dynamics involved, and commit
to practices that support building trust with employees. The book addresses the aspects of
betrayal and trust, the bulk of it focused on "transactional trust" (which they define as
"managing
expectations, establishing boundaries, delegating appropriately, encouraging mutually serving
intentions, keeping agreements, and being congruent in our behavior") and ways to build it
among teams and groups as well as entire organizations. The authors conclude with a section
on "transformational trust," the ultimate stage attained when trust within these levels "reaches
a
critical point and increases exponentially, becoming self-generating and synergistic." This is
smart food for thought, supported by tools and techniques that can put it into practice. --
Howard Rothman
