Last week, Alison presented a very interesting article about trust in organization and we had a discussion about how trust can promote organizational learning. It was the first time that I actually link the two concepts, trust and learning, together, and it makes perfect sense! Now, when thinking about those who I have learned the most from in the Student Union in my university, I noticed that they are also those who I trust the most.
One of the most influential people in my college life is my best friend, Yi. I know him from the Student Union, and we became really close after a year. The way I define our friendship is that we will say whatever we think to each other directly, knowing that although it may hurt our feelings, we won't take it personal and will understand and deal with it rationally. Because of the mutual trust, we were able to share a lot about our experience in the organizational and learn from each other.
In the article presented by Alison, sharing vision, mission, and value is a part of trust. I think that explains one of the reasons why Yi and I become close friends, which is that we shared the goals of the Student Union, which was to host students events successfully and be influential in campus life. Having this shared vision, we were able to carry out conversations about our practice and reflect on it. If we had different organizational goals in mind, I don't think we would have so many meaningful and interesting conversations or exchange inspiring ideas.
Another reason why we were work buddies is that we were always on the same levels in the organization for all three years. It not only gave us the similar levels of concerns and common topics, but also helped avoid the negative impact from hierarchy. Hierarchy is such a big thing in traditional Chinese culture and in the culture of student organization in many Chinese universities that I feel it is almost impossible to be as direct as I wish with those above me. Therefore, it is incredibly helpful to have a peer to give me feedback and share ideas. As teammates, we know that our words will be considered seriously by the other one and we believe that each of us is capable of listening to different voices and reflecting on our behaviors. The equality in our relationship is a reason for, as well as a result of, the mutual trust.
In most organization, there are also hierarchies, which may hinder knowledge transfer if not managed well. One of the solutions could be a relatively flat structure, which we have discussed about in the case of the steel company. It is very impressive the see how that company managed to have only two levels to foster information flow. Although it seems hard for many organizations to simplify the levels, they can start with little things to promote equality and trust. For instance, get rid of reserved parking spot for higher-level staff and create common areas where everyone can go and talk with anybody there.
Thank you, Alison, for inspiring this these thoughts :)
