Performance is the result of trust, not vice versa
Getting the causality right is essential
Workplace situations can be complex. You do not know how to solve a problem before you start working on it. You have to act to learn. You even have to revise your understanding of the problem several times while doing so.
Nevertheless, there are a couple of topics where I think it is important to get the causality right. Conway’s Law was an example that I mentioned earlier: Because of the overly complex organizational structure, the resulting product is also more complex than necessary.
Another causality that I recently argued about was the relationship between Psychological Safety and performance. The topic itself has been explored by Amy C. Edmondson. A Google Study of what makes a successful team came to similar conclusions: Psychological Safety is the condition for performance, not its reward.
Reversing it would mean that people have to prove their value first before we accept them and they can feel fine. This is an idea that I wholeheartedly reject. I also wonder why you would hire people that you do not trust in the first place.
Depeche Mode: A Question of Lust
