Lesson 3: Building and Maintaining Trust

Swift Trust

Reflect back on a time when you met someone for the first time that you were required to work with to complete a task (Coppola, Hiltz & Rotter, 2004, Baskerville & Nandhakumar, 2007). Did you trust him or her to complete his or her assignments? If so, this is swift trust. It refers to assumptions team members initially make about one another. It is based on past, similar experiences. For example, if you worked on a project with a person from an international country and found them to be very competent, open and helpful, this would not only build trust with that person but it would build swift trust for future similar situations. Swift trust allows you to export the trust built in previous situations and encounters to new similar situations.

Swift trust allows one to suspend any doubts or uncertainties regarding other team members. It assumes that every member cares about the project and wants to work to accomplish the goal. Swift trust requires that you want to undertake risks, in particular, initially trusting other team members. You begin work on the project with the belief that you, and the team will benefit from the activity. These characteristics of swift trust allow one to continue working on the project and to give the opportunity for trust to develop.

As one uses swift trust at the start of the project, you give team members the acknowledgement that they will perform and fulfill their tasks. As team members meet the expectations of the team, relationships and credibility with other members is developed and eventually swift trust is developed into personal trust. It is important to remember that as you are exercising swift trust with other team members, they are using their swift trust in regards to you.