Trust: the key to collaborative success

Argued to be the ‘universal currency’, trust is so important to us as individuals. We’ve all wondered at some stage, ‘how much can I trust this person or company?’ And it’s not surprising, particularly in today’s digital world where there’s a prevalence of ‘fake news’ and dwindling trust in the media, politicians, financial institutions and others. Being able to consistently deliver on promises has never been more important for businesses. Sounds obvious? That doesn’t stop so many organisations getting it wrong.

Failures to meet expectations hit the headlines nearly every day, highlighting the importance of performance, competence and integrity. Trust is a hard earned commodity, but one that can easily be lost in a moment.

So what influences ‘trust’? Contributing factors can include commitment, experience, competence and communication to name just a few but in the end it is often the intangibles within an organisation which play the powerful and pivotal role.

It goes without saying that for trust to exist on the outside, it must be built from the inside. Trust must be instilled in a culture, underpinning everything a business does from transparent processes and decision-making to open communication and empowerment.

Comms-care has built its reputation on doing whatever it takes to deliver on its commitments to its stakeholders, whether that be employees, customers, suppliers or regulators. We operate as our partners want us to; as a seamless extension to their team, providing stand out customer experiences through collaboration. This joined-up approach fosters innovation, unlocks new opportunities and creates valuable synergies.

Highlighting its importance, trust was chosen as the theme for World Quality Day 2018, a global initiative centred on the importance of quality management to organisations. To mark the occasion, we held a day of activities for employees at HQ designed to help us consider what aspects of Comms-care truly make us trustworthy to our partners; resilience, quality service, dependability and honesty were common answers given.

In a world of unpredictability, trust really is an imperative. It forms the basis for effective collaboration and is a prerequisite for building strong and lasting relationships, as ultimately the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.