Trust & Betrayal in the Workplace: Building Effective Relationships in Your Organization, Second edition [Paperback]

Dennis S Reina (Author), Michelle L Reina (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 2006

In today's competitive global economy, organizations sometimes must make difficult, even distressing changes. For them to be successful, trust is vital. After all, business is conducted via relationships, and trust is the foundation to effective relationships. This book is about trust; the power when it exists, the problems when it doesn't, the pain when it is betrayed, and how to restore it. Drawing on years of research and experience with organizations worldwide, the authors provide a simple yet comprehensive approach to trust that shows how to discuss it constructively, identifies behaviors that build or break trust, and describes steps to rebuild trust and sustain it even through periods of change. This revised, expanded edition features new examples and practical tips, tools, quizzes, and exercises to help readers create work environments where trust grows so that people feel good about what they do, relationships are energized, and productivity and profits accelerate.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Dennis and Michelle Reina, principals in an organization-development firm, believe more productive and rewarding work environments will emerge if relationships that define them are truly built on trust. The problem they see is years of "downsizing, restructuring, and reengineering or of upsizing, mergers, and growth" that frequently result in minor misreadings of intention along with major breaches of promise--followed all too often by seriously diminished employee performance. The solution they propose in Trust & Betrayal in the Workplace is that leaders must develop a full understanding of the complex dynamics involved, and commit to practices that support building trust with employees. The book addresses the aspects of betrayal and trust, the bulk of it focused on "transactional trust" (which they define as "managing expectations, establishing boundaries, delegating appropriately, encouraging mutually serving intentions, keeping agreements, and being congruent in our behavior") and ways to build it among teams and groups as well as entire organizations. The authors conclude with a section on "transformational trust," the ultimate stage attained when trust within these levels "reaches a critical point and increases exponentially, becoming self-generating and synergistic." This is smart food for thought, supported by tools and techniques that can put it into practice. --Howard Rothman --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

Thank you for the roadmap to a place called TRUST. May we never lose our way. -- Sissy Franks, Vice President, Health Care Education Association, and Director, Outpatient Center & Education

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Product Details

• Paperback: 247 pages
• Publisher: Berrett-Koehler Publishers; 2nd Revised edition (January 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1576753778
• ISBN-13: 978-1576753774
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.3 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #95,261 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An exceptional analysis of how to build or repair trust, November 6, 1999

By 

Ira Chaleff (Washington, D.C.) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Trust and Betrayal in the Workplace: Building Effective Relationships in Your Organization (Hardcover)

Trust and Betrayal in the Workplace by Dennis & Michelle Reina This book tackles one of the most pervasive and intractable dynamics which degrade the quality of work relationships and job satisfaction. The contribution that this book makes is to provide models for analyzing how trust is undermined which then suggests ways that it might be restored. It's not helpful to just say "I don't trust him." Using the Reina's model of contractual trust, communication trust and competence trust, you would describe that breakdown more precisely. "I don't trust his behavior - it's too inconsistent" or "I don't trust that I'll get the information I need from him" or "I don't trust that he'll be able to get this job done." With the problem better articulated, it becomes possible to address it and a choice can then be made about whether to do so. The Reina's have made the subjects of Trust and Betrayal the core of their life's work to date and it shows in such simple and profound insights as "Betrayal is an experience determined by the betrayed." This is what organization executives so often miss and which saddles them with disgruntled work forces. The Reina's go on to draw distinctions between intentional and unintentional, and major and minor betrayal. This gives executives a way to understand the dynamic without ladening them or their employees with guilt or defensiveness. The book is full of exercises one can use to gain competence in building trust or repairing trust that has been damaged. It takes a real adult to take responsibility for building and repairing trust rather than just writing off others as being untrustworthy. The Reina's challenge us to be adults.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Sensible and Sensitive Approach, February 19, 2000

By 

Robert Morris (Dallas, Texas) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Trust and Betrayal in the Workplace: Building Effective Relationships in Your Organization (Hardcover)

In their Preface, the Reinas explain: "This book is about trust: the power when it exists, the problems when it doesn't, and the pain when it is betrayed. Our purpose in writing this book is to help people at all levels of the organization to create, support, and rebuild trust in themselves and within their organizations." Here is how their book is organized:

Part I Understanding Trust and Betrayal

Part II Transactional Trust (Three Types)

Part III Transformative Trust

The material consists of sharply-focused analysis, mini-case studies anchored in real-world experiences, a series of checklists, and then at the conclusion of each chapter a summary of key points followed by "Ideas in Action." Together, this combination of analysis and information helps to explain HOW to establish and then sustain trust throughout any organization. The authors also offer some practical advice on how to recover from betrayal, once experienced: Observe and acknowledge what has happened, allow your feelings to surface, get support, reframe the experience, forgive yourself and others, and finally let go and move on. Most of us have experienced betrayal in personal relationships and many of us have also experienced organizational betrayal. It can indeed be painful.

The authors assert that first you must trust yourself; if you don't, you probably cannot or will not trust another person. Next, give trust to others inorder to obtain it. Trust another's character. Years ago, Stan Smith lost a major tennis title to Arthur Ashe after a call against Smith which enraged the crowd. Later, Smith agreed that losing the point was the turning point in the match. He then added, "But if Arthur said my shot was out, that's good enough for me."

Trust another's competence. "I know you can do it. I have total confidence in your abilities." Most of the time (not always), the person told this will then do everything humanly possible to prove worthy of such trust.

Trust those with whom you work closely. Small concentrations of trust within a branch office, department or business unit can frequently develop a momentum which has much wider and deeper impact. That, in essence, is what "transformative trust" is all about. The Reinas explain this quite well in Part III.

The Reinas conclude their book with a series of questions which will help the reader to determine the nature and extent of trust within her orn his own organization, and, to determine what needs to be done to increase it effectively. There is no break-through thinking in this book...nor do the Reinas claim to offer any. Rather, as indicated, their book examines real-world situations which demonstrate either the potential benefits of trust or the destructive consequences of betrayal. For most of those interested in the subject, that should be sufficient.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Straightforward reading, April 17, 2000

By 

Lisa E. Maxwell - See all my reviews

This review is from: Trust and Betrayal in the Workplace: Building Effective Relationships in Your Organization (Hardcover)

My boss gave me a copy of this book. Initially, I thought "something to read on the train". What I quickly realized was that this was probably the most straightforward book I've read. It is logical, honest and simple in plan. I find myself using this as a reference guide rather than reading beginning to end. I enjoy going to the sections that I have a particular interest in. It's a comfort book, a reminder to do the things that make us all feel better at the end of the day.