Chapter 4

Three Trust Models

The three trust models provide a powerful framework for creating personal and organizational trust. The first model, the trust equation, divides trustworthiness into four components: credibility, reliability, intimacy, and self-orientation. The second model, the trust creation process, describes how trust is built in conversations. The third model, the trust principles, provides a set of values to guide organizational decisions and individual action. This chapter explores these fundamental ideas, which we refer back to throughout the course of this book.

Most people know trust when they see it, but have no idea why trust exists where it does or what happened when trust is lost. Based on our work with professionals around the world, we have distilled our core thinking on trust into three trust models. These three models provide the organizing frameworks for being personally and organizationally trustworthy:

1. The trust equation lays out the four components of trustworthiness.

2. The trust creation process shows how to build trust in conversations.

3. The trust principles provide a set of values to guide organizational decisions and individual actions.

Together, these three trust models, Figure 4.1, provide the theoretical foundation for leading with trust. The rest of this book makes frequent reference to these models.

Figure 4.1 Using the Three Trust Models

The Trust Equation

Trust is a two-sided relationship: One person trusts, and the other ...

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