Governing on the basis of trust: naïve or necessary?
Governing on the basis of trust is often seen as naïve and unrealistic. People who say this see trust as doing nothing and letting go. That form of trust is indeed naïve. Professor of Trust-based Public Governance Frédérique Six shows that governing on the basis of trust is necessary for today's often complex social tasks. Trust is quite hard work, especially on mutual relationships and mutual expectations.
Trust acts as a lubricant in social relationships and leads to better outcomes. When that trust is lacking and distrust dominates, the organization or society gets stuck like a rusty machine. In the public debate, there is broad agreement that the government is currently stalled and that too much is governed by distrust. This leads to distrust in employees and clients of executive (semi) public organizations.
The challenge of governing from trust is not about lack of knowledge of what that looks like. For centuries, well-known thinkers have been giving valid advice for good governance. The challenge lies in recognizing and acknowledging deep-seated beliefs that dominate the current dynamics of governance and make distrust preferred over trust. Reviewing these assumptions is a prerequisite for sustainable governance based on trust. That is where the major research and impact challenge lies.