How does digital build trust?

People in digitally mature organi­zations have greater trust in col­leagues they have never met. They also have higher than average trust in global management.

How can this be?

It seems normal that people have high degrees of trust in peers and close colleagues, and lower degrees of trust for global/corporate manage­ment. Geographical and hierarchical distances are not always easy to diminish.

Hierarchical barriers are stronger than geographical barriersl.

People in more digitally mature organiza­tions are likely to have more chances to interact with global man­agement through information flows – top down, bottom up and horizontal – across the organization.

They will also have more opportunities to communicate and collaborate with other people across the organization, many of whom they have never met face-to-face.

Access and visibility breed trust. We tend to distrust what we don’t know or see, or, at best, feel neutral. Instinctive trust in people who don’t know each other comes about in work cultures where information and work is open and visible.

• Peers and close colleagues 98% (Maturing stage) vs. 80% (All).
• People in other parts of the organization 70% vs. 35%.
• Local management (business unit, country, etc.) 80% vs. 45%.
• Global/corporate management 65% vs. 35%.