Individual Assignment 1:  To Trust or to distrust

The Instance

Around 2007, in my role, I need to serve my manager, and also one of my colleagues, he needed to report to both of us, my manager and me as well.  As we worked along well for quite a long period of time, about seven years, we know each other well, so I feel very comfortable to work with him, and to assign the tasks to him and let him do it on his way without much supervision.  He has freedom to do his work, what he needed to do is to report to me once the task is completed and also to the tasks assigned by my manager.

One day, he suddenly rudely came into my room and said he resigned and then directly went to our manager’s room saying that he resigned.  Shocking to my manager and me, and we just did not know what happened, my manager then interviewed him and unexpectedly he told my manager because of me, I did things unfairly and assigned the duties to him without any instruction and always interrupted him to do the things in order, he was hardly to follow my instructions.

Surprising to me at that time, after my manager interviewed him, my manager told me, he, at a certain extent, he believed what my colleague told him!!  I have nothing to say! 

Actually before my colleague tendered his resignation, I knew he spoke around in our office and told others how badly “our manager” treated him!!  I defended for myself and explained all the “lies” told by my colleague to my manager.

At last, a meeting arranged by manager among three of us, and I defended point by point, my colleague had nothing to say and my manager further interviewed other colleagues of what my colleague told him, it finally proved that I was doing things right and not as what my colleague told my manager. 

Since then, I have changed my mind and think that don’t “trust” others easily as “values” of each person differentiate, one might defect you when talking about his or her own “interest”!

Trust or Distrust

According to Robert F. Hurley (2006, p. 58), people would base on ten basic factors to make the choice of trust of distrust.  To me, the decision-maker factors could best describe what I have been changed since the instance happened, like risk tolerance, level of adjustment and relative power. 

Before the instance happened, I used to be a “risk seeker”, I tend to be a high risk tolerance, and think that things would work out in any situation.  After this instance, I tend to become a risk avoiders, I could say that I am now in the middle level of risk tolerance, as I know that it’s hard to control the thinking of other persons, when conflict came up about a person’s value or interest, others might made you in a jeopardize situation.

The level of adjustment, as what Robert F. Hurley( 2006, p. 56) said, at first, “I see the world as a generally benign place”  however, when you encountered a situation that “no one helps” , like me,  I would think that the world  might not be generally  “a benign place”!

Talking about the situational factors as what Robert F. Hurley (2006, p. 57), that is, “security” and “predictability and integrity”.  Like “security”,  Robert F. Hurley (2006, p. 57), he indicated that  “the higher the stakes, the less likely people are to trust”.  It seems that it fits into my case as well!  As my colleague thought that my manager would trust him well, had had opportunity on hand to defeat others, that is, he had higher stakes to do anything.  Moreover, Robert F. Hurley stated (2006, p. 59) about “predictability and integrity, “trustees who say one thing but do another lack integrity, the result is distrust”.  As what my colleague did to me, the outcomes, he told lies and the result is our “trust” working relationship for more than seven years was ruined!

Behaviour Adjustment

After this instance happened, I think it’s a lesson to me, I no longer think about things too naïve, I need to think and protect myself when doing things with colleagues when “conflict of interest” came up!

To me, “trust” others should be very very careful!!

1. Robert F. Hurley (2006, September), The Decision to Trust, "Harvard Business Review" pp.55 -63.