Chapter 2: Trust Building as a Management Strategy

Mirja Iivonen
University of Tampere, Finland

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Abstract

This chapter explores trust as a management strategy by applying Henry Mintzberg's idea of strategy thinking as seeing. Trust building has been described by paying attention to trust building process, trust principles, and trust imperatives. Strategic thinking has been divided into elements and trust building has been included into these elements. The author discusses what it means to see trust ahead, behind, above, below, beside, beyond, and through in organizations. She states that trust is a strongly situational phenomenon and related to the organization's past and present where also such issues as tacit organizational knowledge and organizational culture have impacts. On one hand the chapter contributes to the existing literature on strategy development. On the other hand it should be of interest for practitioners because trust building as a management strategy is also a very practical issue.