The Trust Imperative: Performance Improvement Through Productive Relationships

Today's businesses environment is highly demanding and increasingly competitive, requiring organizations to be flexible, responsive, and continually innovative. In order for this to happen, there must be a high degree of trust throughout the organization. Leaders need to trust that their workers will carry out directives, and employees need a high level of trust in the vision and direction that leaders create for the organization. Without this trust an organization will struggle to reach its goals and attain the success desired. This is the focus of The Trust Imperative, which explains how to develop trust throughout an organization, while improving performance and increasing productivity. The book offers simple conceptual models, assessments, and trust tools which will help individuals diagnose, measure, and improve the level of trust within the organization. The authors then provide succinct tips and techniques to support the continuous development of trust within any organization.

Marsha L. Willard is CEO of Axis Performance Advisors, Inc., a Portland, OR firm specializing in helping organizations work through challenges. Willard has previously co-authored three books, including Rx for Business: A Troubleshooting Guide for Creating a High-Performance Organization (Irwin, 1996) and Why Teams Can Fail and What to Do About It (Irwin, 1995). She received her Ph.D. from the University of Southern California and her MS from the University of Oregon. Stephen K. Hacker is the Director of The Performance Center of the Oregon University System, which helps build academic and industrial relationships to achieve profound performance improvement. Hacker has previously co-authored Work Miracles (Insight Press, 1999). He has made presentations and consulted on performance improvement throughout the world. He received his engineering degree from Tulane University and his MBA from the University of New Orleans.