Building Trust

In business, politics, marriage, indeed in any significant relationship, trust is the essential precondition upon which all real success depends. But what, precisely, is trust? How can it be achieved and sustained? And, most importantly, how can it be regained once it has been broken? In Building Trust, Robert C. Solomon and Fernando Flores offer compelling answers to these questions. They argue that trust is not something that simply exists from the beginning, something we can assume or take for granted; that it is not a static quality or "social glue." Instead, they assert that trust is an emotional skill, an active and dynamic part of our lives that we build and sustain with our promises and commitments, our emotions and integrity. In looking closely at the effects of mistrust, such as insidious office politics that can sabotage a company's efficiency, Solomon and Flores demonstrate how to move from naive trust that is easily shattered to an authentic trust that is sophisticated, reflective, and possible to renew. As the global economy makes us more and more reliant on "strangers," and as our political and personal interactions become more complex, Building Trust offers invaluable insight into a vital aspect of human relationships.

"Trust, claim the authors, is an emotional skill that we must first understand and then, practice to achieve. This thoughtful book, more a philosophical soliloquy than a how-to, is organized into three chapters that explore the many meanings of trust, pinpoint the most powerful "authentic" trust, and describe its elements."-Business Reader Review

Autorentext

Robert C. Solomon is the Quincy Lee Centennial Professor of Business and Philosophy at the University of Texas, Austin. His books include A Short History of Philosophy and Business Ethics, both published by OUP. Fernando Flores is Presidente, Fundación Chile (a Chilean non-governmental organization) and Chairman and CEO of Business Design Associates, Inc.

Zusammenfassung
Solomon and Flores portray trust as a series of social practices, not merely an attitude toward a person at a time or some sort of vague social 'glue'. This book aims not only to understand trust but to give the reader the tools to build and maintain trust in personal and business relationships.

Inhalt

• PREFACE
• INTRODUCTION
• 1: TRUSTING TRUST
• Trust on Trial
• Alternatives to Trust: Fear, Control, Power
• Distrust: "Paranoia" and Cynicism
• Basic Trust
• Trusting Strangers: The Global Society
• Talking about Trust
• Building Trust
• 2: UNDERSTANDING AND MISUNDERSTANDING TRUST
• How We Misunderstand Trust
• Simple Trust
• Blind Trust
• Trust and Reliance: The Mechanization of Trust
• Whom Can You Trust?
• Two Virtues: Trust and Trustworthiness
• Conditional Trust
• Beyond Competence
• Trust as Medium: The Most Insidious Misunderstanding
• 3: AUTHENTIC TRUST
• From Simple Trust to Authentic Trust
• Authentic Trust
• Trust as Emotion
• Trust as Mood
• Trust as Background and as "Medium"
• Self-Trust, Self-Confidence
• Knowing Self-Trust
• Emotional Self-Trust
• Breaches and Betrayals of Trust
• Trust, Hope, and Forgiveness
• Authentic Trust and Leadership: Disclosing New Worlds
• CONCLUSION: BUILDING AUTHENTIC TRUST
• NOTES
• BIBLIOGRAPHY
• INDEX