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- Dec 30, 2010
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The future of trust
I SUGGEST people and the Government look at trust from a three-pronged approach.
First, we should discuss trust in the Government by examining competence, integrity and benevolence - both actual and perceived.
Trust in competence increases when the Government solves problems and deliver on its promises.
Trust in integrity increases when the Government is transparent, objective and fair when making decisions, and accountable for its use of resources, its actions and the resulting outcomes.
Trust in benevolence increases when the Government understands and empathises with Singaporeans' needs and problems and puts Singaporeans' interests and well-being as top priority.
Some approaches will contribute to all three dimensions of trust. For example, public communication can be more strategic and coordinated across agencies. Public engagement can be more inclusive and begin earlier prior to policy formulation.
This means going beyond seeking feedback and explaining policies.
There could be more sharing of relevant information early - to work out collaborative solutions with the public. For Singaporeans to contribute more to the country, they need to be given more information and a greater voice in the decision-making process.
Second, trust could evolve and change over time, either gradually or suddenly. The level of trust in Government is not static. A low level of trust at a point in time must not be taken as a given and a high level must not be taken for granted. This means one needs to adequately assess trust levels and track changes over time.
Finally, there is a need to understand how trust is built and how distrust originates, what factors could predict and influence trust, and what consequences may result from trust and distrust.
One also needs to understand how trust or distrust propagates and spirals into positive or negative effects, and how trust could be repaired, restored and rebuilt.
A good way to start is to revisit assumptions about these issues and check them against research findings and different perspectives.
Trust is critical and complex.
There must be an understanding of the trust process in order to repair trust violations, restore trust erosion and rebuild trust development.
The writer DAVID CHAN is director of the Behavioural Sciences Institute, Lee Kuan Yew Fellow and Professor of Psychology at the Singapore Management University.
.
I SUGGEST people and the Government look at trust from a three-pronged approach.
First, we should discuss trust in the Government by examining competence, integrity and benevolence - both actual and perceived.
Trust in competence increases when the Government solves problems and deliver on its promises.
Trust in integrity increases when the Government is transparent, objective and fair when making decisions, and accountable for its use of resources, its actions and the resulting outcomes.
Trust in benevolence increases when the Government understands and empathises with Singaporeans' needs and problems and puts Singaporeans' interests and well-being as top priority.
Some approaches will contribute to all three dimensions of trust. For example, public communication can be more strategic and coordinated across agencies. Public engagement can be more inclusive and begin earlier prior to policy formulation.
This means going beyond seeking feedback and explaining policies.
There could be more sharing of relevant information early - to work out collaborative solutions with the public. For Singaporeans to contribute more to the country, they need to be given more information and a greater voice in the decision-making process.
Second, trust could evolve and change over time, either gradually or suddenly. The level of trust in Government is not static. A low level of trust at a point in time must not be taken as a given and a high level must not be taken for granted. This means one needs to adequately assess trust levels and track changes over time.
Finally, there is a need to understand how trust is built and how distrust originates, what factors could predict and influence trust, and what consequences may result from trust and distrust.
One also needs to understand how trust or distrust propagates and spirals into positive or negative effects, and how trust could be repaired, restored and rebuilt.
A good way to start is to revisit assumptions about these issues and check them against research findings and different perspectives.
Trust is critical and complex.
There must be an understanding of the trust process in order to repair trust violations, restore trust erosion and rebuild trust development.
The writer DAVID CHAN is director of the Behavioural Sciences Institute, Lee Kuan Yew Fellow and Professor of Psychology at the Singapore Management University.
.
