Building Trust 2013 by Interaction Associates

Building Trust 2013:
Workforce Trends Defining High Performance
In partnership with:
June 2013

Copyright © 2013 Interaction Associates and Human Capital Institute. All rights reserved.
About This Research
Building Trust 2013: Workforce Trends Defining High Performance is research that explores the
overlap of leadership, trust, and collaboration—and has been conducted annually since 2009 by
Interaction Associates. A survey was developed and distributed in February 2013 by Interaction
Associates and the Human Capital Institute (HCI). More than 290 organizations worldwide were
surveyed, with 399 participants completing a survey of 37 questions. The surveys were distributed
to a combined target list of HCI members and business leaders from Interaction Associates’
database, with a special concentration this year in the Asia-Pacific region. Additional demographic
information can be found in the appendices of this report.
The results of this survey form the basis of this research and are summarized in the following
text. In addition, HCI conducted several in-depth interviews with a group of thought leaders and
practitioners to help inform this research, including:
• Jean Hamakawa, Executive Vice President and Director of Human Resources, Bank
of Hawaii
• David Yudis, Vice President of Talent Management, Learning and Development,
UTI Worldwide
To supplement the primary research methods described, the researchers reviewed previous years’
Trust in Business studies by Interaction Associates, including in-depth comparisons to the 2012 data.
Definition of Key Terms
Organizational Trust
The extent to which employees trust others within their organization based on:
• Consistency, predictability, and quality of work and actions.
• Ability and evidence of past accomplishments.
• Shared sense of commitment and responsibility to achieving a common goal.
Level of Trust
The extent to which:
• People have a shared sense of commitment and responsibility within an organization.
• Individuals feel safe communicating their ideas and opinions among colleagues, peers,
and supervisors.
Trust
Trust is the willingness to put oneself at risk based on another individual’s actions.
High Performing Organizations (HPOs)
Organizations whose net profit grew more than 5% over the last year.
Low Performing Organizations (LPOs)
Organizations whose net profit grew less than 5%, or shrank, over the last year.

Table of Contents
I. Executive Summary.....................................................................................................4
II. Summary of Five Key Findings......................................................................................5
Dramatic Rebound in Trust and Leadership............................................................................ 5
Employee Involvement and Engagement Skyrocket.............................................................. 5
Leaders Walk the Talk................................................................................................................ 6
Trust is a Decision Leaders Make, not an Inherent Trait......................................................... 6
Top 5 Leadership Actions that Build Trust............................................................................... 6
III. 2013 Research Findings—All Companies........................................................................7
Business Goals and Priorities.................................................................................................... 7
IV. Company Performance: High Performing vs. Low Performing Organizations.......................8
V. Key Findings: HPOs vs. LPOs—Business Goals and Priorities................................................... 10
VI. Key Findings: HPOs vs. LPOs—Effectiveness in Achieving Business Outcomes..................... 12
VII. The Culture of High Performance: Trust, Leadership, and Collaboration........................... 14
Employee Levels of Commitment: From Disengagement to Involvement......................... 15
Retention and Engagement.................................................................................................... 16
VIII. Zoom in: Trust........................................................................................................... 17
Basis of Trust............................................................................................................................. 19
IX. Zoom in: Leadership.................................................................................................. 19
Leadership and Values............................................................................................................. 21
X. Zoom in: Collaboration.............................................................................................. 22
XI. Conclusion............................................................................................................... 23
Appendix A: About the Author................................................................................... 24
Appendix B: Respondent Demographics...................................................................... 25

4
I. Executive Summary
Interaction Associates has conducted the Building Trust workplace research for
the past five years, exploring the state of trust, leadership, and collaboration
inside companies worldwide. For the past two years, the Human Capital
Institute (HCI) has been a partner in this ongoing research.
Our cumulative half-decade of data shows a strong correlation between
financial health and the leadership culture and behaviors in organizations. In
short, companies adept at practices that reinforce strong leadership, trust, and
collaboration enjoy better financial performance.
This year, our surveyed organizations universally reported a stronger financial
picture and a dramatic turnaround in key areas of trust and leadership. The
stronger financial picture is not news—but the corresponding rebound in
measures of strong leadership, mutual trust, and collaborative behaviors is
distinct and very telling. It suggests a virtuous cycle that we have seen repeated
year over year: robust financials correlate with certain behaviors. When the
behaviors are missing or declining, the financials also tumble.

5
II. Summary of Five Key Findings
This section details five major insights from our 2013 research that collectively
shed light on how top performing companies drive strong business results at
the intersection of trust, leadership, and collaboration.
1. Dramatic Rebound in Trust and Leadership
2. Employee Involvement and Engagement Skyrocket
3. Leaders Walk the Talk
4. Trust is a Decision Leaders Make, Not an Inherent Trait
5. Top 5 Leadership Actions that Build Trust
Dramatic Rebound in Trust and Leadership
The Forbes magazine coverage of Building Trust 2012—which was headlined
Trust in Business Falls off a Cliff*—noted that key measures of trust, leadership,
and collaboration were at an all-time low last year.
The 2013 results show what a difference a year makes: both trust and leadership
have increased 7 points—going from off the cliff last year to some of the highest
levels in the five years that Building Trust has monitored workplace trust and
leadership. Details on page 7.
What’s more, nearly all of the leadership traits surveyed in Building Trust have
jumped markedly inside High Performing Companies (HPOs). Our survey
tracks 16 key leadership areas, and all but three of these experienced striking
increases, including “Leaders reflect realistic optimism and confidence in
the future,” “Leaders model and reflect organizational values,” and “Leaders
encourage, listen to, and act on employee feedback.” Details on page 20.
Employee Involvement and Engagement Skyrocket
Our 2013 findings show a huge increase in involvement and engagement—
especially involvement at HPOs vs. Low Performing Companies (LPOs).
Nearly 60% of HPOs report having engaged and involved cultures. Additionally,
HPOs now outpoll LPOs more than 3-to-1 on the topic of employee involvement,
a dramatic increase over last year’s 2-to-1 ratio.
Why is this important? High involvement is a key weathervane on business
results because involved employees more actively share responsibility for an
organization’s success. What’s more, our research shows that involvement and
engagement correlate with a company’s financial success and its ability to retain
key employees.
* Adam, S. (2012, June). Trust in
Business Falls off a Cliff. Forbes
Magazine.

Leaders Walk the Talk
Building Trust 2013 increasingly shows that trust originates from the tone at the
top—specifically that how leaders lead is more important than ever. What does
it mean to be a leader in an environment where how you lead matters? Two
words: predictable transparency.
By huge gaps compared to LPOs, employees at HPOs see their leaders as
realistic about the future and more consistently walking the talk by modeling
and reflecting the organization’s values.
Additionally, HPO leaders more consistently acknowledge individual and team
performance—and are consistently transparent in communicating the mission,
vision, and strategy of the organization. Details on page 20.
Leaders walking the talk directly affects whether employees deepen their
engagement and involvement, with a profound impact on business results and
performance. And because people join organizations but they leave managers,
leaders walking the talk in predictable and transparent ways significantly
influences employee retention.
“Trust is the tone at the top. Its presence and practice—or lack thereof—
stems from the CEO on down,” Jean Hamakawa from Bank of Hawaii said.
“Establishing that tone and maintaining it is admittedly very difficult and puts
those individuals under a lot of pressure, but only they can do it. Creating trust
has become part of the job description for senior leaders today, one of the most
important things they do.”
Trust is a Decision Leaders Make, not an Inherent Trait
Building Trust 2013 once again challenges the notion that leaders often have
regarding trust: that it’s an inherent trait vs. a set of behaviors that foster and
strengthen it. This research shows that trust is a decision leaders make to take
a risk—and as with other risks in business, leaders at HPOs actively manage
that risk in the same way they actively manage financial, operational, and
competitive risks.
Why is this important? Trust is a decision we all make to empower others to affect
us—and it is created around the interactions we have based on that decision. Given
that, there are specific actions that leaders take to deepen trust and to foster it
among employees.
Top 5 Leadership Actions that Build Trust
According to Building Trust 2013, more than 80% of those surveyed believe that
being effective in their work requires a high degree of trust in their leaders. Building
Trust 2013 also identified the top five actions that leaders take to build trust.
We asked respondents to choose from a list 3 leadership actions that would most
strongly improve trust. The top 5 selected leadership actions are as follows:
“Many leaders just don’t
understand the connection
between trust and business
results. HR needs to use
business perspectives and
metrics to pitch trust in a
way that has impact. Drop
the learning jargon and HR
terms and talk about trust
through the lens of business.
That is a hard skill set to
come by. Boardroom
support is extremely
difficult to achieve if you
don’t use the right set of
tools and language.”
David Yudis,
Vice President,
Talent Management, Learning
and Development,
UTI Worldwide
6

2013 2012
My organization has effective leadership 38%1
31%
My organization is highly collaborative 36% 32%
Employees have a high level of trust in management and the organization 34%1
27%
III. 2013 Research Findings—All Companies
Business Goals and Priorities
While our surveyed organizations’ business goals and priorities in 2013 have not
shifted dramatically, there are some noteworthy differences between 2013 and
2012. Top line/revenue growth and profit growth remain critical priorities for
organizations today (see Fig. 2). Among those business goals and priorities that
are more highly ranked by organizations overall in 2013, are:
0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40%
Customer loyalty and retention
Improvements to
productivity and efficiency
Attraction, deployment, and
development of talent
Business agility (speed, flexibility,
adaptability to change)
Cost reduction/becoming
more efficient
Consistent execution of strategy
Profit growth
Innovation, creativity, and
entrepreneurship
Competitive market position
Top line/revenue growth
0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40%
Figure 2:
What are your organization’s
three most important business
goals or priorities for the next
12 months?
7
Figure 1:
To what degree do the following
statements describe your
organization?
(% Described extremely/very well)
1
Significantly higher than 2012
1. Set employees up for success by providing tools, resources, and
learning opportunities (41%).
2. Provide adequate information around decisions (41%).
3. Seek input prior to making decisions (40%).
4. Consistently act in alignment with the company’s values (35%).
5. Give employees an inspiring, shared purpose to work toward (28%).
This year’s survey saw a significant rise in confidence in levels of both trust and
leadership inside organizations. Both characteristics jumped seven percent, to
nearly their highest levels since our research began (See Fig. 1).
37%
32%
29%
27%
26%
25%
25%
22%
19%
16%

11%
15% 28%
30% Flat15%
Negative
More than 10%
above last year
5–10% above
last year Up to 5% above
last year
Unchanged
from last year
Below last year
HIGH PERFORMING
LOW PERFORMING
1. A focus on customer loyalty and retention.
2. Attraction, deployment, and development of talent.
3. Consistent execution of strategy.
These were behaviors that distinguished the highest performing organizations
in our 2012 study.
Key Findings:
• Many companies in 2013 are more focused on consistently executing
strategic plans and processes.
• Talent issues continue to increase in importance: the attraction, deployment,
and development of talent is a greater focus in 2013.
• Perhaps most notably, organizations are recognizing that their success
hinges not only on effective leaders and employees, but also consumers,
as customer loyalty and retention is the third most important goal identified
by our 2013 data.
IV. Company Performance: High Performing vs. Low
Performing Organizations
Our 2012 research focused on exploring the relationship between an organization’s
financial performance and levels of trust, leadership, and collaboration, and this
year we looked at the same variables to see what, if any, differences occurred
between 2012 and 2013.
Figure 3:
Please describe the net profit
your organization experienced
in the last fiscal year:
8

Figure 4A:
Relative to your organization’s
plans, last year’s net profit was:
*significantly higher than LPOs
Figure 4B:
Please describe the growth
rate of your organization’s
revenues in the last fiscal year:
*significantly higher than LPOs
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
2013
HPOs
2013
LPOs
9% 32%* 59%*
50% 42% 8%
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
Below Target On Target Above Target
To better understand our survey respondents and the organizations they
represent, we asked several questions about the organizational profit and
revenue growth companies experienced in the past fiscal year. This information
helped us determine the relationship between trust and bottom-line results,
while also shedding light on the specific ways that organizations with high levels
of trust perform.
Identified in the same way in 2012, respondents who stated their organizations’
net profit grew more than 5% over the previous year were classified as working
for HPOs. Companies with profit growth below 5% in the previous fiscal year
were classified as LPOs. This profit growth difference was the most significant
performance differentiator between organizations in our study (see Fig. 3).
To verify these classifications, we used publicly available financial data and
compared those figures with the respondents’ self-reported company
performance. We validated the actual profit growth from the previous fiscal year
for a sampling of participant organizations, and evaluated that information in
comparison to the self-reported classification of HPO or LPO. In each case, our
analysis found that the self-reported categorization of net profit growth matched
the genuine financial performance of the company (see Fig. 4A and 4B).
2013
LPOs
2013
HPOs
More than
10% above
last year
5–10%
above
last year
Up to 5%
above last
year
Flat
(unchanged
from last
year)
Negative
(below
last year)
0 20 40 60 80 1000% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
54%*37%*
21% 28% 33% 13% 5%
2%
2%
5%
High revenue growth: 18%
High revenue growth: 91%
9

Figure 5:
What are your organization’s
three most important business
goals or priorities for the
next 12 months?
*Significantly higher than
related HPOs/LPOs
Key Findings:
• More than 290 organizations participated in our survey, and of those,
26% of organizations were categorized as HPOs. The remaining 74%
were identified as LPOs. In comparison to 2012 data, there was a 6%
shift from HPOs to LPOs, possibly indicating the struggles associated
with maintaining very high levels of profit growth.
• The increased revenue growth experienced by HPOs in the previous
fiscal year is one of the strongest differentiators in our research, a finding
that also reinforces the effect the economic recovery is having on the
marketplace (see Fig. 4B). Nine out of ten HPOs in 2013 (compared to
eight out of ten in 2012) had robust revenue growth in the past fiscal
year—only one-fifth (18%) of LPOs experienced similar results.
V. Key Findings: HPOs vs. LPOs—Business Goals
and Priorities
In line with our findings from 2012, both HPOs and LPOs are primarily focused
on achieving revenue and profit growth in 2013 (see Fig. 5). However, the manner
in which HPOs and LPOs pursue profitability is very different. LPOs are significantly
0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40%
Profit growth
Customer loyalty
and retention
Cost reduction/
becoming more efficient
Improvements to
Attraction, deployment,
and development of talent
0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40%
38%
37%
38%
30%
37%*
27%
17%
30%*
30%*
16%
30%
24%
2013 HPOs 2013 LPOs
10

more likely to try to increase profits by reducing costs, improving efficiency,
and increasing productivity, while HPOs focus on customer loyalty to build the
top line. While HPOs are more inclined to ‘grow to greatness,’ in comparison,
LPOs make attempts to ‘shrink to success.’
Key Findings:
HPOs indicate that their top three business priorities are:
• Top line/revenue (38%) and profit growth (38%).
• Focusing on customer loyalty and retention (37%).
• Attracting, developing, and deploying talent (30%).
LPOs also are looking to grow revenue (37%) and profit (30%) and focus on
customer loyalty and retention (27%); However, they are also nearly two times
more likely than HPOs to focus on:
• Improving productivity (30%).
• Becoming more efficient through cost reduction (30%).
Figure 6:
What are the three least
important business goals or
priorities for your organization
during the next 12 months?
*Significantly higher than 2012
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60%
Rapid-cycle time:
product to market
Conducting business
in an environmentally
sound manner
Competitive market
position
Innovation, creativity,
and entrepreneurship
more efficient
Predictable business/
financial results
Profit growth
Exhibiting organizational
behavior consistent with
company values/ethics
Profit growth
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60%
53%*
41%
22%
19%
19%*
19%*
18%
16%
15%
14%
11

HPOs 2013: A Positive Trend Toward Relationship Building
In 2013, the trend toward a significant and increased focus on the priority of customer
loyalty and retention persisted as a differentiating factor between HPOs and
LPOs. HPOs continue to recognize and prioritize the need for effectively retaining
customers and earning dedication and commitment from them.
Additionally, HPOs report that the attraction, deployment, and development
of talent is one of the most important business priorities. By contrast, LPOs are
6% less focused on this goal. Because trust is based on the ability to effectively
build and maintain relationships, HPOs are better positioned to retain key talent
and sustain higher engagement levels among their employees.
Least Important Goals and Priorities
In terms of least important goals and priorities, our data this year did not indicate
any key differences (see Fig. 6). Significantly more organizations in 2013 agree
that focusing on rapid-cycle time: product to market is not a priority, a trend
established in 2012. Conducting business in an environmentally sound manner is
also a business goal that is rated low in importance. This finding is interesting in
contrast to other pieces of our 2013 data that appear to demonstrate a growth
toward values-aligned and ethical leadership.
VI. Key Findings: HPOs vs. LPOs—Effectiveness
in Achieving Business Outcomes
Our evaluation of HPOs and LPOs ability to achieve key results and business
outcomes underscored many of the findings about top line/revenue and profit
growth (see Fig. 7). Of the outcome measures our survey analyzed, HPOs were
more effective than LPOs at achieving all but one (conducting business in an
environmentally sound manner), and there was no significant difference between
HPOs and LPOs in that outcome. In fact, HPOs were significantly more effective at
accomplishing 11 of the results listed than their LPO counterparts.
Key Findings:
• The largest gaps between HPOs and LPOs in regards to effectively
achieving business outcomes includes goals around profits, revenue,
and competitive market position, which are findings that are nearly
identical to our 2012 data. This indicates that while profit and revenue
growth remain priorities for every organization, HPOs are much better
positioned to actually achieve those objectives.
• Of those HPO companies that experienced 5% or greater profitability growth
in the last fiscal year, 91% met or exceeded their profit targets. In comparison,
50% of LPOs did not meet their targeted profit goals (see Fig. 4B).
“We have a ‘grow, connect,
thrive’ mission at Bank
of Hawaii […] Employees
are connecting at a level
beyond the surface of
work. Work with friends.
Make those people you
work with your friends. We
know that people stay for
their team. They work for a
corporation, true, but their
teammates are their friends,
and they don’t want to let
their friends down.”
Jean Hamakawa,
Executive Vice President,
Director of Human Resources,
Bank of Hawaii
12

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80%
Customer loyalty
and retention
Exhibiting organizational
behavior that is consistent
with company values/ethics
Profit growth
Competitive market
position
Retention of
key employees
Predictable business/
financial results
Conducting business
in an environmentally
sound manner
Innovation, creativity,
and entrepreneurship
Consistent execution
of strategy
more efficient
Business agility
(speed, flexibility,
adaptability to change)
Improvements to
Rapid-cycle time:
product to market
66%2
52%
65%1
41%
64%2
23%
58%2
19%
57%2
36%
52%2
36%
49%2
31%
39%
42%
39%2
22%
37%2
22%
34%
27%
31%2
20%
31%2
19%
23%
19%
15%
13%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70%
Figure 7:
How effective is your
organization in achieving
each of the following
business objectives?
1
LPOs and 2012 HPOs
2
Significantly higher than
2013 LPOs
2013 HPOs 2013 LPOs
13

Other goals/outcomes HPOs are effective at accomplishing are:
• Practicing and promoting creativity, innovation, and entrepreneurship.
• Consistently executing strategic plans.
• Retaining key employees.
• Attracting, developing, and deploying talent.
VII.The Culture of High Performance:Trust,
Leadership, and Collaboration
When respondents were asked to describe their organizations in terms of
leadership, trust, and collaboration, the difference between HPOs and LPOs was
apparent. Employees at HPOs have a higher degree of trust in their leaders and
colleagues, have greater respect for leadership, and report a greater degree of
collaboration inside their organizations than do employees in LPOs. While this was
true in 2012, HPOs’ ratings in these areas rose significantly in 2013 (see Fig. 8).
Key Findings:
• Employees at HPOs rate their organizations as having improved since 2012
in effective leadership (up 17%), collaboration (up 19%), and trust (up 18%).
Figure 8:
To what degree do the following
organization?
(% Describes extremely/very well)
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
58% 56% 56%
31%
29%
26%
HPOs LPOs
My organization has
effective leadership
My organization is
highly collaborative
Employees have a
high level of trust
in management and
the organization
2013 HPOs 2013 LPOs
14

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
11% 31% 35% 23%
24% 42% 27% 7%
Disengaged
Our employees view
their jobs
as a means to
a paycheck;
if another
opportunity
came along, they
would take it.
Passively
Engaged
Our employees
are satisﬁed with
the company; they
see it as a good
place to work. Few
would be motivated
to seek another job.
Engaged
Our employees are
highly engaged and
are committed to
their profession and
jobs; employees
willingly expend
discretionary effort
to achieve results.
Involved
In addition to being
highly engaged,
our employees are
actively involved and
share responsibility
for the organization’s
success; managers
provide meaningful
opportunities for
employees to give input
and/or participate in
decisions that
affect them.
2013
LPOs
2013
HPOs
Q12. Which of the following statements best describes your organization?
Figure 9:
Which of the following
statements best describes
your organization?
• 56% of HPO respondents agree that, “Employees have a high level of
trust in management and the organization.” This compares with only
26% of LPO employees.
• 58% of HPO respondents report that their organizational leadership is
effective. This is significantly more than the 31% of LPO employees who
reported this.
• 56% of HPO employees describe their organizations as “highly
collaborative.” Among LPOs, just 29% said the same.
HPOs are gaining ground in the three key areas of effective leadership,
collaboration, and trust, while LPOs showed little growth, or are in decline (see
Fig. 8). The rebound cited on page 5 of this report is largely driven by improvements
in the one-quarter of our respondents who work for HPOs.
Employee Levels of Commitment: From Disengagement to Involvement
Employee engagement can be viewed as a continuum. The general range of possible
employee attitudes and behaviors can be divided into four states—Disengaged,
Passively Engaged, Engaged, and Involved. This continuum is detailed in Fig. 9.
Involved Employees are defined as individuals who go beyond highly engaged
behaviors to be actively involved in and share responsibility for the organization’s
15

16
success. In addition, they report that their managers provide meaningful
opportunities for employees to give input and/or participate in decisions that
affect them.
David Yudis from UTI Worldwide elaborated on the relationship that exists
between trust and engagement. “Trust is the foundation of employee engagement.
You cannot satisfy employees without trust. You can have levels of engagement,
but those are not sustainable without trust. With trust, you can go further and grow
engagement. Trust within the employer brand and the organization itself means, ‘I
can trust my manager, my leader, I know that they have my best interest at heart, and
I can trust collegially, and trust that the work I’m doing is meaningful.’”
Key Findings:
• Almost 60% of HPOs experience Engaged and Involved cultures.
• Passively Engaged and Disengaged cultures account for two-thirds of LPOs.
• Involvement increased considerably for HPOs between 2012 to 2013—
23% vs. 15% last year.
• HPOs are doing a better job of involving employees this year: 58% of
HPO employees are classified as Involved or Engaged, compared to
40% in 2012.
• Similar to last year’s survey, a comparatively lower percent (34%) of LPOs
are classified as Engaged or Involved.
Retention and Engagement
Our research also demonstrates that employee engagement continues to track
closely with the organization’s effectiveness at retaining key employees (see Fig. 10).
Key Finding:
• Respondents that report high numbers of Engaged and Involved
employees at their organization are much more likely to effectively retain
key employees (60%) than those that report a Disengaged workforce (7%)
or even a Passively Engaged workforce (40%).

17
Figure 10:
Effectiveness of Retention
of Key Employees by Level
of Engagement
Our employees
view their jobs
as a means to
a paycheck;
if another
opportunity
came along, they
would take it.
Our employees
are satisfied with
the company;
they see it as a
good place to
work. Few would
be motivated to
seek another job.
Our employees are
highly engaged
and committed to
their profession and
jobs; employees
often expend
discretionary effort
to achieve results.
In addition to
being highly
engaged, our
employees are
actively involved
and share
responsibility for
the organization’s
success.
Extremely effective
at Retention of
Key Employees
1% 6% 13% 22%
Very effective
at Retention of
Key Employees
6% 34% 47% 38%
NET EFFECTIVE 7% 40% 60% 60%
Somewhat effective
at Retention of
Key Employees
49% 46% 33% 38%
Not very effective
at Retention of
Key Employees
30% 13% 6% 0%
Not at all effective
at Retention of
Key Employees
14% 1% 1% 2%
VIII. Zoom In: Trust
In our definition, trust is the willingness to put oneself at risk based on another
individual’s actions. HPOs exhibit higher ratings of trust-building and trust-reinforcing
behaviors than LPOs.
Trust decreases in importance in working relationships as the connection becomes
more distant. In other words, our survey indicates that people’s trust levels move
from higher to lower as you ask them to assess more and more distant relationships:
colleagues, boss, senior leaders, other departments, and other organizations to
the business environment at large (see Fig. 12).
Key Findings:
• HPOs outscore LPOs in every factor of Trust.
• HPOs have made significant improvements over 2012 in four of 12
trust-reinforcing behaviors.
• Sharing responsibility for success and making reasonable requests of
employees are the two greatest differences between HPOs and LPOs,
with a 24% gap in each case.
• Trust has generally stayed the same or increased across all relationships,
except with politicians, where trust has declined 70%.

18
27%
25%
22%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80%
People feel safe communicating
their ideas and opinions
People within the organization have
a sense of shared commitment
and responsibility
Individuals are not assigned
“impossible” tasks that are outside the
scope of their knowledge
People are acknowledged and
rewarded for their work
Everyone is treated fairly regardless
of position or rank
The culture promotes and
rewards honesty
My colleagues/peers are consistent
and predictable in their actions
People in the organization share the
rationale for their opinions
Transparency and shared
understanding of key processes for
decisions is encouraged
Leaders are consistent,
predictable, and transparent in
their decisions and actions
People feel safe communicating
their ideas and opinions
with leaders
People and teams can take risks (i.e.
people are “allowed to fail” and
learn from their mistakes)
69%2
48%
67%2
43%
65%1
41%
61%1
38%
59%2
43%
59%2
38%
53%2
34%
52%2
30%
51%2
33%
49%1
26%
44%2
26%
38%1
22%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70%
Figure 11:
Among 2013 HPOs and LPOs,
thinking about the LEVEL OF
TRUST within your organization,
to what extent do the following
company?
1
LPOs and 2012 HPOs
2
LPOs
2013 HPOs 2013 LPOs
2013
HPOs
2013
LPOs
My coworkers/colleagues/peers 93% 91%
My boss 91% 89%
The senior leadership team 86% 82%
Other organizations I work with (e.g., client companies, vendors, etc.) 80% 74%
My organization’s other departments 79% 82%
The business environment outside my organization 57% 54%
Figure 12:
Being effective in my work
requires a high degree of trust
(i.e., a willingness to put myself at
risk) in my relationships with:
(% Strongly agree/Agree)

19
2013 2012
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80
I trust others based on the
consistency, predictability, and
quality of their work and actions.
Trust is based on evidence
of past accomplishment and
demonstrated capability.
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60%
62%
68%
58%
2012 2013
61%
27%
31%
70% 80%
I trust others based on the
expectations associated with their
role. Trust is based on the duty,
respect, and allegiance owed to
the position a person occupies.
Figure 13:
To what extent do the following
statements describe the basis of
trust in your organization?
I trust others based on their
contribution to our shared
commitment and responsibility.
Trust is based on confidence
that others will work diligently
to accomplish shared goals.
Basis of Trust
People demonstrate trust in the workplace based on one of three primary ways:
they trust others based on past behavior and expertise; based on confidence that
people will work to achieve shared goals; or based on the expectations associated
with a person’s role in the organization. Our research found that these bases of
trust remain unchanged between 2012 and 2013 (see Fig. 13). Trusting others
based on expectations about their role continues to be less significant than trusting
others based on experience and expertise or on shared goals. This underscores
the fact that at its core, trust must be earned through individual exchanges and
behaviors—it does not come with a job title or seniority in an organization.
IX. Zoom In: Leadership
2013 saw considerable growth in HPO leadership. In fact, for HPOs, 13 of the 16
leadership traits measured in the survey have improved significantly since the
2012 survey (see Fig. 14).
Based on these responses, HPOs are likely to feature leaders who are:
• Are optimistic and confident.
• Are aligned with company values.
• Acknowledge individual and team performance.
• Communicate effectively.
Jean Hamakawa from Bank of Hawaii echoed this finding and underscored the
importance of leaders and their role in organizations. “Leaders today have to
be so much more attuned to what the needs of the individuals are. We have

20
HPO LPO
Reflect realistic optimism and
confidence in the future
Model and reflect the
organization’s values
Acknowledge individual and
team performance
Effectively communicate the
mission, vision, and strategy of the
organization
Make sound decisions even in
ambiguous or complex situations
72%1
42%
63%1
33%
62%2
41%
62%1
41%
59%1
34%
Figure 14:
Thinking about LEADERSHIP
within your organization, to
what extent do the following
company? Managers and
leaders in my organization:
1
2013 LPOs and 2012 HPOs
2
2013 LPOs
2013 HPOs 2013 LPOs
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80%
HPO LPO
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80%
Encourage, listen to, and act on
employee feedback
55%2
30%
to be much more flexible because the Boomer generation is exiting, and
Traditionalists are practically gone. The need for balance is very different, and
the role and perceptions of gender, race, education, and expectations are
very different. Competition is defined very differently in the workforce today
and shareholders expectations are different. Trust can provide a framework to
address all of these variables in a consistent and thoughtful way.”
Among LPOs, three of the surveyed leadership traits have significantly improved
since 2012. However, HPOs still outscored LPOs on all behaviors surveyed. The
highest LPO rating for any leadership behavior was 42%; no HPO leadership
behavior rating fell below 40%. This finding indicates that HPOs are better
positioned to implement the behaviors and skills necessary for success in
organizations today.
Key findings:
• HPOs have higher ratings in effective leadership across the board compared
to LPOs.
• HPOs report they are 15% more effective at consistently executing strategy
than LPOs (see Fig. 7).
• Leadership practices with the biggest HPO/LPO gaps are:
o Reflecting realistic optimism and confidence in the future: 30% gap
o Modeling and reflecting organizational values: 30% gap
o Making sound decisions in ambiguous or complex situations: 25% gap
o Encouraging, listening to, and acting on employee feedback: 30% gap

21
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80%
Draw on multiple perspectives to
set direction and implement
effectively
Support people who think
outside the norm, experiment,
and take risks
Effectively communicate and
manage change within the
company
Share power appropriately
through effective delegation
Provide focused, balanced,
and timely feedback to
individuals and teams
47%1
30%
46%1
29%
42%1
19%
41%1
22%
40%1
20%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80%
Figure 14 (continued):
Thinking about LEADERSHIP
within your organization, to
what extent do the following
company? Managers and
leaders in my organization:
1
2013 LPOs and 2012 HPOs
2
2013 LPOs
Have specific and measurable
goals that are linked to strategy
54%2
38%
Promote cooperation among
different functions, departments,
and workgroups
Demonstrate a commitment to
employee development
53%1
36%*
52%1
36%
Demonstrate an ability to learn
from mistakes and change
behavior
51%1
27%
Provide clear direction and
context for necessary actions
49%1
29%
Leadership and Values
Notably, exhibiting organizational behavior that is consistent with company
values/ethics is a key difference between HPOs and LPOs. In 2012, there was no
significant difference between HPOs and LPOs on this outcome, but in 2013,
it is rated as 18% more important and is a differentiator between HPOs and
LPOs (see Fig. 15). Trust is based on consistent authenticity, and our research
wholly supports that. This finding may indicate a trend toward consistent and
transparent leadership and increased scrutiny on leader behaviors. Employees
may be temporarily swayed by leaders who ‘talk the talk,’ but the demand that
those leaders also ‘walk the talk’ is increasing.
Figure 15:
The biggest differentiators
between HPOs and LPOs from
2012 to 2013.
HPOs: 2013 Most Effective Outcomes
(Effectiveness Rate of 60% or higher)
Rating
Diff.
2013 2012
Customer loyalty and retention 66% 66% 0
Exhibiting organizational behavior that is consistent
with company values/ethics
65% 47% +18%
Top line/revenue growth 64% 59% +5%
2013 HPOs 2013 LPOs

22
People within my team, department,
or workgroup share responsibility for
our success and hold each other
accountable for following through
Most people are open and
receptive to the suggestions
and opinions of others
Managers encourage and support
the use of current and new
collaboration tools and technology
Decision-making processes
are transparent and clear
Meetings usually achieve
their outcomes and are an
efﬁcient use of time
Q9. Thinking about the ENVIRONMENT FOR COLLABORATION within your organization, to what
extent do the following statements describe your company? (% describes “extremely/very well”)
HPO LPO
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80%
People, by and large, have the
interpersonal and group skills
needed to collaborate
Individuals willingly share
information and resources
with each other
Employees understand how their
own or their team’s objectives are
linked to the objectives of others,
and to the organization overall
People have access to tools
and technology that enable
better collaboration
People are aware of and
openly involved in
decisions that affect them
Employees share responsibility
for success and hold each other
accountable for following through
Most people are open and
receptive to the suggestions
and opinions of others
People, by and large, have the
interpersonal and group skills
needed to collaborate
Individuals willingly share
information and resources
with each other
Employees understand how their
objectives relate to the objectives
of others, and the organization
People have access to tools
and technology that enable
better collaboration
People are aware of and openly
involved in decisions that
affect them
Managers encourage and support
the use of current and new
collaboration tools and technology
Decision-making processes are
transparent and clear
Meetings usually achieve their
outcomes and are an efficient
use of time
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80%
64%2
49%
61%1
36%
57%2
37%
54%1
33%
49%2
28%
47%2
35%
45%1
25%
43%2
32%
39%2
17%
31%
21%
2013 HPOs 2013 LPOsFigure 16:
Thinking about the
ENVIRONMENT FOR
COLLABORATION within your
organization, to what extent
do the following statements
describe your company?
1
LPOs and 2012 HPOs
2
LPOs
X. Zoom In: Collaboration
We asked respondents to rate their organizations across a range of collaborative
behaviors. Employees of HPOs rated their organizations considerably higher
than the LPO employees across all of the behaviors listed (see Fig. 16).

23
Key Findings:
• HPOs outscore LPOs in every factor of Collaboration.
• Three of 10 collaborative factors improved significantly for HPOs, while
the ratings among LPOs were statistically unchanged.
• “Openness to the suggestions and opinions of others” is a key differentiator
and major area of improvement since last year, with HPOs improving
their score in that area from 47% to 61%.
• “Individuals willingly sharing information and resources with each other”
rose from 56%–64% among HPOs.
• Involvement in decisions also differentiates HPOs from LPOs, and has
improved for HPOs during the last year.
XI. Conclusion
It’s clear that Building Trust 2013 shows that the leadership and trust behaviors
we track have rebounded powerfully—and with them, we’re seeing a
correspondingly big jump in engaged and involved cultures. Also, there is a
significantly improved performance of HPOs in both profitability and revenue
growth. High performers are kicking it up a level—a larger percentage of these
are growing at a higher rate.
Our research continues to suggest a virtuous cycle of reinforcing elements
inside high-performing companies: strong leadership, mutual trust and skillful
collaboration, and healthy financials go hand-in-hand. No wonder Trust is one of
issues on The Conference Board’s 2013 List of Top Ten CEO Challenges.
Watch for Interaction Associates’ Trust Toolkit, coming in September 2013.
To download previous years’ toolkits, go here: 2012 Trust Toolkit and
2011 Trust Toolkit.

24
Appendix A: About the Author
Andy Atkins currently serves as the Chief Innovation Officer of Interaction Associates,
and brings 30 years of experience in management and education to his work
with clients. Prior to joining Interaction Associates, he served as a leadership
and organization development and human resources executive with Bank of
America, Fleet Bank, and Genuity. Previously, Mr. Atkins led human resources
organizations and change efforts at Arthur D. Little, Fidelity Investments, and
Mercer Management Consulting. He has worked with organizations internationally in
industries including financial services, chemicals and pharmaceuticals, transportation,
manufacturing, publishing, and education, and has published articles on change
management, quality, and human resources strategy.
Mr. Atkins has been an adjunct professor at Babson College in Wellesley, MA,
where he taught the MBA course in Leading and Managing Change. He earned
his MBA from Columbia University where he was a Goldman Sachs Fellow, and
has an MA from the State University of New York at Stony Brook and a BA from
Hofstra University, where he was elected to Phi Beta Kappa.

Appendix B: Respondent Demographics
Human Resources/Recruiting
Executive Management
Operations
Research Development
Marketing Sales
IT
Customer Service
Finance/Accounting
Other
Industry
18%12%
10%
10%
9%
7%7%
7%
4%
4%
4%
2%
2%
2%
1%
1%
1%
3%
Business/Professional Services
Financial Services/Real Estate/Insurance
Government/Nonprofit
Healthcare
Chemical/Energy/Utilities
Education
IT Hardware/Software
Auto/Industrial/Manufacturing
Aerospace Defense
Food Beverage/Consumer Goods
Bio/Pharmaceuticals/Life Sciences
Retail
Construction
Media Entertainment/Travel/Leisure
Transportation/Warehousing
Telecommunications
Travel
Other
Function
63%
18%
4%2%
8%
2%
1%
1%
1%
Revenue
Less than $10 million
$10–$50 million
$51–$100 million
$101–$500 million
$501–$999 million
$1–$4.9 billion
$5–$9.9 billion
$10–$14.9 billion
$15–$29.9 billion
$30–$40 billion
More than $40 billion
N/A – Government or Nonprofit
Don’t know
20%
15%
6%13%
5% 10%
4%
5%
3%
7%
1% 8%
5%
25

Appendix B: Respondent Demographics
North America
Asia/Pacific
Europe
Central/South America
Africa
Middle East
Manager
Director
Vice President
C-Level
Executive VP/Senior VP
Team Member
Analyst
Other
Geographic Region
Number of Employees
Title
29%
28%
13%
12%
6%
5%
4% 4%
82%
10%
2%
2%
1%
3%
21%
15%
7%
12%
10%
7%
8%
18%
1%
3%
Less than 100
101–499
500–999
1,000–2,499
2,500–4,999
5,000–7,499
7,500–9,999
10,000–19,999
More than 20,000
Don’t know
26

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