The Heart of Sustainable Change: How Trust Bridges the Gap between Strategy and Human Connection
Photo by Chris Briggs
An Invitation to Reflect
In today’s fast-changing world, it’s tempting to look for big strategies or bold visions to lead the way. But real, profound change usually starts with something simpler—and more human: trust.
Mid-sized service providers face a unique set of challenges. Digital transformation is accelerating, talent expectations are shifting, and the constant need to adapt can wear teams down. Many organizations focus on crafting inspiring visions, but when the going gets tough, engagement often drops.
What if the key to successful change isn’t just what we do—but how we do it together?
I invite you to explore a different approach, inspired by the work of Amy Edmondson and John Kotter. It’s a path where trust becomes the foundation for resilience, innovation, and meaningful progress.
1. The Real Challenge Beneath the Surface
Change Fatigue is Real
Research by Gartner shows that 54% of HR leaders say their teams struggle with change fatigue. The problem isn’t just how fast things change—it’s how we manage that change.
Reflection:
When your teams face uncertainty, do they feel supported or left on their own?
Is your culture one where people feel safe to speak up, or do they hold back?
Beyond Purpose: The Role of Trust
Purpose can inspire people, but trust is what keeps them moving forward. Take the example of Polish regional SME clusters, where trust among 80 mid-sized firms helped them win international contracts they couldn’t have tackled alone. This network of trust accelerated innovation and adaptation beyond what any single company could achieve.
The takeaway?
"Vision sets the direction, but trust determines whether people walk the path together."
John Kotter’s Accelerate model highlights the power of networks—but those networks only work where trust already exists.
2. The Three Types of Trust That Make Change Happen
True collaboration depends on three kinds of trust—each playing a different role.
Benevolence Trust: "We Care About Each Other”
This means people believe their colleagues and leaders genuinely want the best for them. In teams with high benevolence trust, concerns come up early, preventing small issues from becoming big problems.
Try this: Start meetings by asking, “What’s one challenge you’re facing, and how can we help?”
This kind of trust is the foundation for Kotter’s “volunteer army”—people won’t step up unless they feel safe.
Integrity Trust: "We Do What We Say"
Integrity trust means keeping commitments, even when it’s hard. It’s a lifeline during times of change.
Reflect: Think about the last few promises that were broken in your organization. Were they intentional, or did systems fail?
Belgian social enterprise MicroStart shows how integrity and benevolence trust work together—offering personalized financial and advisory support that helps mid-sized providers grow sustainably.
Competence Trust: "We Grow Together"
This trust means believing in each other’s skills and intentions. Peer learning speeds up adaptation.
Kotter connection: Fuels the "continuous acceleration" Kotter describes.
Belgium’s Sapristic, through its BiiON branch, builds competence trust by delivering specialized environmental monitoring solutions for pharma clean rooms—quickly adapting to new regulations with EU-backed financing.
3. How to Put Trust First in Change
Start with Reflection
Before your next initiative, ask:
Where does trust flow easily in your organization? Where does it get stuck?
Who quietly brings people together without needing the spotlight?
Small Steps That Make a Big Difference
Benevolence: Try “learning retrospectives” where the focus is on growth, not blame.
Integrity: Use a “commitments board” to make promises visible and track progress.
Competence: Host “hidden skills” sessions where employees share what they know.
The Ripple Effect
When trust grows, so does:
Service innovation: Teams collaborate across silos, generating unexpected solutions.
Change resilience: People adapt not because someone told them to but because they feel equipped and supported.
For example, Spanish digital service provider Odilo scaled internationally by embedding trust-building practices—leadership alignment, open communication, and integrity—into its change efforts.
4. Why This Matters for Service Leaders
Mid-sized service providers have an advantage: closeness. Unlike large corporations, you can build trust intentionally—person by person, team by team.
This approach fits well with values many Midcorp service providers share:
Relationships over transactions
Long-term stewardship over short-term gains
And here’s the bottom line: organizations with high trust see 2.3 times lower employee turnover and adapt faster to regulatory changes—especially when trust powers agile, cross-functional teams, Kotter’s “action vehicles.”
The Dual Operating System—Through a Trust Lens
Hierarchies provide stability—clear roles and processes. Agile networks bring speed—collaboration and innovation. Trust is the vital link between these two systems, enabling them to work together smoothly.
5. Where to Begin
Pause and reflect: Where does trust feel strongest in your organization? Where might it need nurturing?
Choose one small experiment: Perhaps a "gratitude round" in meetings or a peer-mentoring hour.
Observe the ripple effects: How does this shift the quality of collaboration?
A Final Thought
Change is a human journey. The organizations that thrive aren’t those with the loudest visions—they’re the ones where trust runs deep, helping people face uncertainty with courage and kindness.
Ready to explore how trust can profoundly change your organization—one step at a time? Get in touch, and let’s start the conversation.