‘Trust arrives on foot and leaves on horseback’

Public trust is fragile, sometimes taking decades to build and moments to shatter. For public body leaders, the public’s trust is core to delivering a successful service. Yet according to recent studies, including the OECD, Deloitte, and Edleman, confidence in government and public institutions is declining.  

How can public body leaders gain and retain public trust and confidence? Is this apparent erosion of trust unique to our time? What agency do public bodies leaders have to strengthen confidence in our public institutions within the context of our wider political system?

These were a few of the questions addressed at our recent ‘Transforming Public Bodies’ event, which brought chairs and chief executives together consider how they can inspire public trust and confidence in our public institutions.  

With particular thanks to our generous contributors:

• Martin Jones, ACE Chair and CEO of the Parole Board
• Justin Maciejewski DSO MBE, Director General of the National Army Museum
• Rob Behrens CBE, Chair of the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman
• Elizabeth Passey, Chair of the Rural Payments Agency
• Alex Thomas, Programme Director of the Institute for Government

Building trust starts with strong leadership

Public body leaders have a fundamental role to play in building public trust. As the latest review launched by the Committee of Standards in Public Life (CSPL) examines, they’re responsible for embodying the Nolan Principals and embedding the values within their organisations.

Clear, structured and empathetic leadership is an essential building block of trust. Commonly considered one of the oldest institutions, the Army provides an interesting case study. The British Army has retained relatively positive and stable public ratings over decades.

The British Army famously deploys a ‘mission and command’ leadership approach, enabling and empowering the workforce to respond rapidly and effectively.

Contributors drew out the following insights for leaders of public bodies:  

• Define and communicate the mission of the body
• Ensure the body delivers a dependable service
• Clarify roles and responsibilities for all contributors
• Promote a culture of openness and transparency
• Create a sense of comradery, motivated by community, not fear

In session it was proposed that the British Army displays many of the features of ‘The Trust Equation.’ First described by David H. Maister, Robert Galford and Charles Green in 2000 in their book, ‘The Trusted Advisor,’ the formula of the trust equation lays out:

Trust = Credibility x Reliability x Intimacy
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Self-orientation

According to this framework, trust can be measured as a balance of credibility as the organisation’s reputation, reliability in referencing its dependency, intimacy in the ability to provide a tailored service and finally self-orientation, describing selflessness. Without any one of these features, trust risks erosion. 

Public body leaders may seek to strengthen public trust by addressing how their organisation can improve upon each feature of the equation. For example, taking a look at ‘intimacy,’ they may choose to consider how they can offer more tailored experience to their users or looking at ‘reliability,’ how they can deliver a more efficient service.

Public trust in the wider social and political context

Members reflected on the cyclical nature of public trust in public institutions, heavily affected by external factors, such as the economic climate or wider social and political context. Public trust is often considered at its peak during times of crisis or directly after an election, and lowest during an economic recession.

There was some reflection on perceived prevalence of ambiguity within public service, which could unintentionally damage trust. Members considered the importance of public servants and civil servants alike having clear roles and responsibilities, visibly taking ownership when problems arose.

Social media has altered the interaction between government and the public, enabling a greater proportion of people to access a more immediate information and opinions. In many ways, members reflected on the fact that reputation and credibility is far more volatile to manage than previously.  

Rising to the challenge

Baroness Onora O’Neill, philosopher and crossbench member of the House of Lords, argues that leaders should ultimately aim to demonstrate trustworthiness. According to her logic, trust should only be encouraged if there’s evidence to support it. For example, the public should not be encouraged to trust a demonstrably failing service.

A note of caution too for leaders of public bodies, that basic competence is fundamental. Fostering a culture of openness, from the individual through the entire organisation requires leaders who own mistakes and learn from them.

Members reflected on why we strive to build public trust in the first place. Ultimately, public body leaders are all trying to provide a service for others; putting the public at the heart of this service and working to deliver an honest, dependable and transparent service is a priority. Public trust is not something that should be expected, rather it should be earnt.

Given the necessity and longevity of many public institutions, it’s imperative that they learn to adapt to these challenges. Though it may be challenging to please all, members reflected on the opportunity for public bodies to become more inventive and nimble in the solutions they provide.

Above all, members emphasised the importance of competency; understanding what service you’re there to deliver and delivering it well.

Resources

How to Trust Intelligently, a TED talk by Baroness O’Neill

How better governance can re-build public trust, a report by OECD

Levison Enquiry (2012), a report by DCMS and the Leveson Enquiry

OECD guidelines on measuring trust, a report by OECD

The power of doubt and the rise of trust, an article by Said Business School