When asked about working in groups, for most people a top concern is trust. Trust is earned. Trust and distrust in work groups occurs on a daily basis. Team members work diligently to earn the trust of other team members. Then, issues occur, missed deadlines, quality concerns and the distrust follows quickly. Work Groups move in and out of trust phases. It may occur several times on the same project which causes angst and anxiety in work groups.

The first step is to realize it takes time to build trust in work groups. As soon as you earn trust, you will need to monitor closely as it can easily turn to distrust. Open discussion where comments are not criticized can build trust. Group members who are available and approachable will build trust in your work relationship. Respect for your work group members builds strong relationships. Listen to the ideas of work group members along with consistency, dependability, and honesty will firmly build trust in your work group relationships. Work group members working as a team and employing these suggestions will create trust. All work group members share the responsibility of continuing the trust.