Trust

trust is a key resource in the conflict management process

trust is having positive expectations about another’s motives and intentions toward us where potential risk is involved.

One of the core issues in conflict resolution between parties is the issue of

trust

riskis a key element of trust,

• We have to take risks (small or large) to explore, test, and eventually build trust.

• Without actually relying on someone, without taking a small risk with them, we can never really know if we can trust them.

• The level of trust we have in the situation or the people affects the size of the risk we’ll take and how frequently we’ll take those risks.

Risk is integral to trust at all levels.

motives& intentions of other people are invisible to us,

• We can only infer or attrib ute motives based on their behavior; or, more accurately, how we interpret their behavior.

• Our assignment of motives to other people is critical, because it also determines how we assign fault and blame.

• When conflict arises, how we decide who caused it, and therefore who is at fault and who is to blame, will determine what hap pens to our level of trust with the other party.

attribution theory & self-serving bias• When a negative event arises, when we are hurt or

harmed, we begin by attributing the cause to someone or something.

• We do this in order to make sense of what has happened. • And we have a strong tendency to attribute in a particular

Way.

attribution to SELF• When we are involved with or cause a

negative event, we have a strong tendency to attribute the cause to the situation, such orders from our boss that we had no choice about, market forces, or other circumstances that we see as beyond our control.

• In essence, we attribute the best of intentions to ourselves and blame outside circumstances for the problem, thus minimizing the fault or blame.