Trust cannot be built; trustworthiness can.
From aspiration to pathway
What's Really Happening
Trust is not something you ask for or declare. It is something that emerges in response to consistent, trustworthy conditions.
Why This Matters
Across contexts and cultures, evidence shows that trust follows a small set of universal principles of trustworthiness. Many organisations, often with good intent, try to build trust through messaging, values statements, or exhortation. That approach rarely holds. Trust is not a lever. It is an outcome. What can be worked on deliberately is trustworthiness – the pathways, systems, and behaviours that make trust a rational response over time. In our experience, this distinction is foundational.
What To Address
Design pathways where:
incentives reward integrity, not self-protection
expectations are clear and consistently applied
consequences are fair, predictable, and proportionate
What Improves
Reduced friction and rework
Faster coordination and decision-making
More resilient performance under pressure
The Takeaway
Stop trying to build trust. Start designing trustworthiness.
