Four Types of Trust at Work

We seem to use the word “trust” as though it refers to just one thing. Perhaps the problem is that the English language has just one such term. Fortunately, Charles Feltman, in The Thin Book of Trust (2^nd ed.), distinguishes four types of trust in the workplace. In this way, when there is a problem with trust, being more specific facilitates identification of the underlying issue, and thus what can be done to help.

The first type of trust in the workplace is Care. Does the other person have at heart the same interests as you, or the team, or the organization? If you lack trust in a coworker in this domain, you believe that they have ulterior motives, most likely selfish ones. So, even if the coworker acts in ways that are congruent with the interests of the team or the organization, you don’t trust the underlying motives for doing so.

The second type of trust is Sincerity. Do you believe that your coworker is honest, and that they are consistent in what they tell different people? If you hear a coworker tell someone else something different than they told you, you might mistrust them in this domain.

The third kind of trust is Reliability. Does the other person carry through with what they say they will? Your coworker may demonstrate Care and Sincerity, but do you trust they will accomplish what they commit to?

The last form of trust is Competence. That is, does the other person have the resources to accomplish what they commit to? Their intentions might be good, and the desire to accomplish a particular goal is strong, but if they lack the necessary resources to be successful, you’re unlikely to trust their words of commitment.

Of course, there are other forms of trust. However, distinguishing among these four types is a good start at being more specific than, “I (don’t) trust” them. By pinpointing the nature of the distrust, you have the opportunity to address it more concretely. For example, “John, when you say that you will take care of it, I truly believe you mean it. My concern is that you don’t have the time to devote to the project and it will fall through the cracks.” Or, “Tabitha, I have a difficult time trusting what you tell me because I’ve heard you tell other people conflicting information.”

The four types of trust also provide a useful framework for assessing your own behavior. How trustworthy are you in each of these domains? How might your coworkers rate you with regard to each of the four types?