The trust issue

How can we ensure that your sense of purpose, beliefs, values and interests are genuinely yours and not a fiction concocted for some nefarious purpose?

In the first instance we have to assume that people will act in good faith. But it would be good to have a way of detecting and eliminating rogue operators.

Given the internet's maturity, several techniques have emerged which offer hope in this field. We are documenting findings on this page.

Simon Sinek - Start with Why

Trust begins to emerge when we have a sense that another person or organisation is driven by things other than their own self-gain.

We've succeeded as a species because of our ability to form cultures. Cultures are groups of people who come together around a common set of values and beliefs. When we share values and beliefs with others we form trust.

Only when individuals trust the culture of an organisation will they take personal risks in order to advance the interests of the organisation.

Trust is built on a foundation of shared values and the feeling that somebody has our back.

Trust comes from being part of a culture or organisation with a common set of values and beliefs. Trust is maintained when the values and beliefs are actively managed. If companies do not actively work to keep their Golden Circle in balance - clarity, discipline, and consistency - then trust starts to break down.

The feeling of trust is lodged squarely in the same place as the WHY - the limbic brain - and it's ofetn powerful enough to trump empirical research, or at least seed doubt.

Jimmy Wales - The Seven Rules of Trust

Jimmy is talking about the principles he uses in the context of Wikipedia and how they keep Wikipedia a trusted and accurate source of information in a world where other social media sites are anything but.

Make It Personal - person to person understanding of trust and how it is created,

Be Positive About People - people are natural connectors and collaborators who want to build good things together,

Create a Clear Purpose - provide an overarching goal that shapes and guides everybody's efforts - Wikipedia is an encyclopedia,

Be Trusting - assume people are acting in good faith,

Be Civil - mutual respect and a discussion around the ideas not the people behind the ideas,

Be Independent - deal in knowledge, facts. Attribute opinion without comment,

Be Transparent - demonstrate that Wikipedia is doing what it says it will do by revealing the internal workings.

Sources

Start with WHY, Simon Sinek.

The Seven Rules of Trust, Jimmy Wales, Bloomsbury.