Four Factors of Trust 

What it is

A simple framework for unpacking the elements of trust along four key dimensions: Capability and Reliability (which together represent Competence) and Transparency and Humanity (which together represent Intent). Note that this is the only “pseudo framework” on our site—the visual diagram doesn’t add meaning to what’s essentially a list (albeit a very helpful one) of trust elements.

When to use

When a team (or any group of two or more people wants to understand how to improve levels of trust, for personal or professional reasons. 

When not to use

When people aren’t serious about addressing trust issues, or in a team setting where trust problems exist that are best dealt with on a one-on-one basis.

Tradecraft tips

People tend to talk about trust as if it’s a single thing. The power of this simple frame is that it shines a light on the different barriers to trust. Some of these barriers may relate to personality while others are more structural or situational. For example: I might not trust you because you don’t share information with me—but the reason isn’t because you’re shady but rather because your boss is telling you not to do so. Also, many managers seem to think that more social events are the main way to build trust, but that won’t help if the trust problems are due to a lack of confidence in others’ capability or reliability. Understanding the specific impediments to trust can enable more skillful, targeted interventions. 

Source

Ashley Reichheld and Amelia Dunlop, The Four Factors of Trust: How Organizations Can Earn Lifelong Loyalty (2023).