Built on Trust : Gaining Competitive Advantage in Any Organization [Hardcover]

Arky Ciancutti M.D. (Author), Thomas L. Steding Ph.D. (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 2000

Praise for Built on Trust ""Built on Trust" is a gem . . . a powerful and distinct contribution because it integrates our highest human aspirations with organizational and management effectiveness. . . . Every lesson learned here will last and inform a lifetime." -- Paul Hawken, founder, Smith & Hawken, and author of "Growing a Business and Ecology of Commerce" "The timing for "Built on Trust" is perfect. Just as the Net is transforming virtually every aspect of business and personal life, it is also fundamentally redefining the notions of trust and loyalty. As the authors suggest: We're just at the beginning of an incredible revolution, and there isn't a moment to waste!" -- Eric Schmidt, CEO, Novell, Inc. "The principles of trust and commitment have become part of the very framework that makes Women.com the company we are today. We talk openly with each other about issues and risks that we all face. The result is an open, decentralized organization where people support each other through an incredible bond of camaraderie and friendship. The Trust Model works and belongs in every modern organization and system." -- Marleen McDaniel, chairperson and CEO, Women.com ""Built on Trust" is a PhD in getting fellow humans to cooperate instead of fight in order to get what every organization wants: success. I've used their methods in five of my companies to happy results." -- Dan Lynch, founder, Interop, Lynch Enterprises "Uplifting, yet hard-headed. Practical advice for creating high performance organizations." -- Michael Rothschild, president and CEO, Maxager Technology, Inc., and author of "Bionomics" "If you want to improve the speed and quality of execution in your company, read "Built onTrust." The winners in today's business world will be the ones who can execute superior business strategies better and faster . . . a surefire process for doing exactly that. Use it or lose." -- Dan Thomas, president, Focus, and author of "Business Sense"

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Long before "values" and "character" became the dominant themes in presidential politics, a handful of business leaders discovered that ultimate success or failure was largely determined by the way they treated their stakeholders. In Built on Trust, Silicon Valley consultants Arthur Ciancutti and Thomas Steding contend that conscious creation of a true values-based enterprise--stemming directly from an open and honest environment of mutual trust--will produce the kind of effective and enduring competitive advantage that popular "management programs du jour" never could. With the help of two fictional companies that employ different operational philosophies, the authors show exactly how such an approach might work and how it can be put into place appropriately in various corporate settings. The centerpiece of their plan is the flexible Trust Model, which addresses both individual and organizational needs. Ciancutti and Steding detail its implementation from creation to buy-in and maintenance. They also include specific objectives and helpful tools, including a self-assessment questionnaire along with step-by-step directions. This easily absorbed book fully describes the formulation of a program that can realistically reflect the beliefs and needs of an organization. It also shows that the organization can continue to meet the program's individualized guidelines over the long haul. --Howard Rothman

From the Back Cover

"Authentic trust can transform the work experience . . . and give you a competitive advantage you couldn't get any other way." -- From the Introduction to Built on Trust Imagine arriving at work tomorrow morning and discovering that your employees have stopped gossiping and started speaking up about their ideas and concerns, completing tasks on time, and conducting productive meetings. Sound like a dream? This is the reality at leadership organizations around the world. When people trust one another, the negative energy generated by their fear, frustration, and suspicion turns into a positive force for innovation, growth, and change. The authors of Built on Trust invite you to start building your culture of trust today based on their simple, time-tested Trust Model. Results will follow quickly. The authors have discovered that people are willing to trust once explicit guidelines are in place. If the Trust Model is followed faithfully, your organization will become more innovative and self-starting. Your rewards are:

• Greater efficiency self-regulation
• Inspired performance from loyal teams
• Increased capacity for a wide range of ideas
• Deeper meaning and stronger relationships
• Enduring competitive advantage

Built on Trust helps you wade through muck, the frustration and anxiety that are part of too many working relationships. You'll be given the clues to muck, insight into its causes, and detailed advice on how to turn this sludge into fertilizer. You will be able to design guidelines for a trust culture that supports your values and mission. Based on two simple but essential components, closure and commitment, the Trust Model eliminates uncertainty about who is going to do what and when and puts an end to promises that are made to be broken. When people understand exactly what's required of them and can count on others to keep their commitments, they become open to other trust model principles. Built on Trust reminds leaders that everyone has a passionate desire to contribute and a natural inclination to give. Built on Trust helps you set an emotional direction for your organization that creates "win-win" experiences consistently for your employees, customers, and shareholders. Built on Trust helps you establish a culture of trust within your organization--quickly and permanently. The Trust Model helps you achieve extraordinary levels of satisfaction among employees, customers, and shareholders. Discover how to eliminate fear and greed, gossip and buzzing, and muck. Learn how to encourage 100 percent closure, commitment, sound risk, and open communication. Targeting both the culture within companies as well as the perception from outside, Silicon Valley business consultants Arky Ciancutti and Tom Steding will help you identify the qualities that make for a trustworthy organization and then show how that knowledge can be used to make changes closer to home. Written with wit and energy and filled with anecdotes from their various top-level clients--Yahoo!, IBM, Hewlett-Packard, Boeing, Chevron, Nortel, and Bank of America among others--Built on Trust is an entertaining and informative read that can be absorbed over the weekend and implemented Monday morning!

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill Companies (September 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0809224461
• ISBN-13: 978-0809224463
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 5.9 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #632,306 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Manager Must read - Read it or perish!, February 26, 2002

By 

Dan E. Ross "Dan Ross" (Frisco, Tx USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Built on Trust : Gaining Competitive Advantage in Any Organization (Hardcover)

Built on Trust needs to be read by CEOs and managers of all types. After graduating with my MBA I worked for two different companies over a three year span and I found both organizations completely lacking basic managerial capabilities and functionality. Being a young, ambitious guy I knew I was "wet behind the ears" but my managers were deplorable at best. The result was a downward spiral in productivity and results at both companies.

The key principles of the book are closure, commitment, respect, responsibility, communication and speedy resolution. I won't go into depth about the principles but most people don't understand, including myself before I read this, how each contributes to an organization's overall success and "social capital."

What the authors are trying to do is get companies to apply their "Trust Model" and the result is, in their minds and mine, that an organization will end up with a competitive advantage over their competitor.

I found the book to be quite similar in many regards to Abraham Maslow's hierarchy of needs at times since one of the goals is to help employees in attaining "self actualization" where their aspirations and sense of contribution occur.

The models' goals, to list a few, include (1) increasing group intelligence through communication (2) increasing creativity (3) making people feel passionate about work (4) creating synergies and (5) getting everyone focused on a common goal.

SENIOR MANAGERS OR ASPIRING MANAGERS! BUY THIS BOOK! This book, along with Peter Drucker's The Essential Drucker, are where I would start to create a better managed, more efficient business.

It is my belief that just about everyone has a passionate desire to contribute. We have a hunger to be a part of something bigger than ourselves, especially when that something reflects and amplifies our inherent values. That is what this book is about. Creating the organization that everyone loves to work for and that the best talent flocks to. If anyone wants some other good business books just e-mail me.

7 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Refreshing View, January 8, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Built on Trust : Gaining Competitive Advantage in Any Organization (Hardcover)

It's refreshing to see an alternative to all the books on Machiavellian politics, intrigue and all the derivatives. Here is an approach to leadership that will give an organization a competitive advantage AND provide a healthy culture and work environment. I hope this book is the opening to new ways of doing business.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding, practical advice, December 27, 2001

By 

Boomzilla "Boomzilla" (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Built on Trust : Gaining Competitive Advantage in Any Organization (Hardcover)

I've had the benefit and pleasure of being taught both individually and in team forum by Dave and Arky Ciancutti from the Learning Center in San Anselmo. Arky's book is a great compliment to the in-person sessions and an excellent standalone pice of work. Sound, practical advice on how to develop and sustain personal and business relationships. I won't go as far as to say this changed my life -- but that's not far from the truth. This is a very readable book, with checklists, advice, key points all presented very clearly. Read cover to cover or use as a reference when your technique needs brushing up. Arky clearly explains why things happen and why we do what we do. Armed with those data we're much better prepared to make a change for the better.