Having worked internationally with senior executives within organisations seeking to restore lost trust, Endaba commissioned independent research specialists, OnePoll, to…
Abstract
Purpose
Having worked internationally with senior executives within organisations seeking to restore lost trust, Endaba commissioned independent research specialists, OnePoll, to undertake a study amongst UK employees to establish trust levels within UK plc. This paper aims to outline the key findings.
Design/methodology/approach
The research took place over a two‐month period. Responses were received from 5,114 employees working for organisations employing in excess of 500 people across 22 different industry sectors. These ranged from aerospace, manufacturing and fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) to government/government agencies and utilities. As well as seeking to determine what employees perceive as the most important characteristics present in trustworthy individuals, the study also evaluated employee levels of trust in their CEOs, senior management and colleagues – and in themselves.
Findings
The full results were formally released at the Endaba Trust Conference, which took place at the Royal Society of Arts on Wednesday, 28 January 2009. In brief, sustained success requires an inside/out process, based on trust and starting with leaders themselves.
Originality/value
HR professionals will be able to use the findings outlined in the paper to benchmark trust levels within their own organisations and discover the main reasons why employees do not trust senior executives.
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Keywords
This paper aims to advance the view that trust has emerged as fundamental to business survival in the current turbulent times. It also aims to examine why trust breaks down and…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to advance the view that trust has emerged as fundamental to business survival in the current turbulent times. It also aims to examine why trust breaks down and what can be done to rectify this.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper reveals the results of research, commissioned by the author's company, among organizations employing more than 500 people in the UK. More than 5,114 employees participated and the results were released at a conference in January 2009 by keynote speaker and global authority on trust, Stephen M.R. Covey.
Findings
The study indicates that almost half of UK employees do not trust their chief executive, and a similar proportion does not trust other senior management either. It examines the reasons behind this decline in trust and suggests strategies to help to reverse this trend. The paper catalogues the 13 behaviors of highly‐trusted leaders.
Originality/value
The paper examines key areas in organizations that can cause a breakdown in trust as well as how to foster a trust culture and/or rebuild trust where it has been diminished.
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James I.F. Speakman and Lynette Ryals
Salespeople are frequently required to manage a wide range of complex internal relationships. This paper seeks to explore one aspect of the key account manager's internal selling…
Abstract
Purpose
Salespeople are frequently required to manage a wide range of complex internal relationships. This paper seeks to explore one aspect of the key account manager's internal selling role which has not been addressed before, specifically how the key account manager handles multiple incidents of simultaneous conflict while carrying out their internal selling duties.
Design/methodology/approach
The research uses the critical incident technique together with an interpretive framework for data coding in order to explore the complex behavioural sequences adopted by key account managers while managing the many incidents of conflict which they frequently encounter within the organisation. Twenty‐nine key account managers from seven participating FMCG, Blue Chip organisations in the UK and USA participated in the research describing 112 incidents of conflict.
Findings
The research provides further insight into the complexity perspective of conflict management, suggesting that conflict episodes do not occur as discrete, isolated, incidents, rather incidents occur simultaneously requiring a combination of behaviours in their management.
Practical implications
The implications for a complex role such as selling are that, while carrying out their internal selling duties, rather than adopting a single managerial style or single combination of styles, key account managers are able to adapt and use a combination of management behaviours which can be modified throughout and across conflict episodes.
Originality/value
In contrast to the majority of research into personal selling, this research takes an interpretive approach through the analysis of transcripts from a series of CIT interviews with key account managers in the field.
Details
Keywords
James Speakman and Lynette Ryals
This conceptual paper aims to draw upon recent complexity and organizational psychology literature to examine conflict episodes, exploring the limitations of the predominant…
Abstract
Purpose
This conceptual paper aims to draw upon recent complexity and organizational psychology literature to examine conflict episodes, exploring the limitations of the predominant research paradigm that treats conflict episodes as occurring in sequence, as discrete isolated incidents.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper addresses a long‐standing issue in conflict management research, which is that the predominant typology of conflict is confusing. The complexity perspective challenges the fundamental paradigm, which has dominated research in the conflict field, in which conflict episodes occur in sequence and in isolation, with managers using one predominant form of conflict resolution behavior.
Findings
The findings are two‐fold: first, the behavioral strategies adopted in the management of these conflicts will be highly complex and will be determined by a number of influencing factors; and second, this moves theory beyond the two dimensional duel concern perspective, in that the adaptable manager dealing with these multiple, simultaneous conflicts will also need to consider the possible implications of their chosen strategy along with the changing micro environment in which they operate.
Originality/value
This paper adds value to the field of conflict theory by moving beyond two dimensions and exploring a sequential contingency perspective for conflict management within the organization. It argues that multiple conflict episodes can occur simultaneously, requiring managers to use differing behaviors for successful conflict management.