Trust-based Transformation: Changing Mindsets and Seeing Reality

4 Oct

Transforming an organisation starts with a shift in how we see ourselves and the world around us.

In this guide, we’ll explore trust-based transformation: what it means, why changing mindsets is crucial, and how leaders can leverage trust to enable transformational change.

Transformational Goals
Changing Mindsets
Developing Pockets
Leveraging Trust

Transformational Goals

Organisations are being called to change themselves at an ever-increasing rate and in ways never seen before. Achieving transformational goals is now a key capability for all.

Evolutionary targets ask for strategic changes to facilitate the transition from the organisation’s current state to a desired future state, involving the active participation of everyone in the organisation, especially its leadership.

These goals focus on driving meaningful, organisation-wide shifts, whether cultural, operational, or strategic and require alignment at every level of the business.

Leaders purse strategic shifts by shaping culture, managing change, aligning talent development, and fostering engagement. They ensure employees are equipped, motivated, and aligned with strategic objectives, facilitating skill building, leadership growth, agility, and resilience to support and sustain meaningful outcomes.

Where are leaders best served to foster transformational aims?

Changing Mindsets

Leaders' highest leverage contribution is found in the hearts and minds of employees.

The field of systems thinking proposes that the single most effective place to intervene in an organisation is in the mindset of its people. It’s from the collection and interaction of these mindsets that organisations are formed.

A mindset is a set of beliefs, attitudes, or assumptions that shape how a person perceives and responds to the world. It influences their thoughts, behaviours, and decision-making. Over time, these ways of thinking and the organisation influence one another.

People create principles, processes, practices, and tools that reflect a certain outlook, and these structures, in turn, shape the people, embedding those mindsets even further.

To develop the organisation, we need to evolve mindsets. Which in turn reinvent the institution.

Changing mindsets is particularly challenging because they are closely tied to our identities. Our perspectives reflect what we believe to be right or true, they’re part of who we are. Influencing people to change their mentality can feel like a personal attack, leading to strong resistance.

On the other hand, holding different mindsets can cause conflict, leading to exclusion and disconnection. Siloing and group divisions are fuelled by these underlying forces.

Our dispositions also shape how we see reality, though we’re often unaware of this influence - much like a fish doesn’t notice the water it swims in. This makes shifting our belief systems challenging and can lead us to overlook their role when trying to solve systemic problems.

How do leaders upgrade minds throughout an organisation?

Developing Pockets

Mindset shifts don’t occur in whole social groups at once. New worldviews and values first emerge in ‘pockets’: small groups of people engaging in intentional learning and development, experimenting with different ways of thinking and acting together.

Members of pockets are visionary champions, acting as a source of leadership; pioneering new perspectives while engaging in advocacy throughout the organisation that can broaden participation.

A pocket is an environment in which members share a commitment to new mindsets.

These communities may grow to other departments or regions, forming online or in person. Over time subgroups may link to the whole organisation, external stakeholders, and societal partners.

They develop a larger sense of collective identity - seeing themselves as part of a bigger picture of shared purpose for groundbreaking shifts: a movement.

How can leaders facilitate this process?

Leveraging Trust

In Trust: The Foundations we make the case that trust is the single most impactful lever to pull to create change.

Trust is like gravity, it influences people everywhere and all the time. It’s an invisible and ‘simple’ force that brings about stability, connection, and growth.

Trust transforms mindsets by making people feel safe to adjust their beliefs, attitudes, and assumptions. They become willing to experiment with new ways of thinking, behaving, and making decisions.

People feel confident that they are being asked to change themselves for the better, and that the change won’t harm them.

When people are free from the fear of being judged, rejected, or punished, they are more likely to question their current beliefs, explore new perspectives, and be open to learning. Ultimately, facilitating a greater ability to change, giving people the courage to think in new ways.

60 years of trust research highlights how trust enables organisational transformation.

Trust enables the ability to change mindsets:

37% increase in openness to new ideas
35% improvement in learning
25% increase in adopting new methods
50% increase in organisational change support

Trust enables people’s ability to see reality:

31% increase in root cause identification
33% more likely to perceive real issues
29% improvement in question quality
38% better at identifying hidden problems
30% enhancement in objective analysis
36% more likelihood to engage in insightful inquiry

How can leaders trust to enable transformation?

There is a wealth of methodologies that can foster trust-based transformation by evaluating organisational and stakeholder trust levels, gaining actionable insights, creating personalised solutions, and assessing impact.

Established tools and practices can integrate trust into strategic plans, change initiatives, and risk management processes while employing transparent communication strategies and engagement programs to enhance stakeholder cooperation.

In addition, trust-based training, coaching, retreats, and leadership development initiatives can cultivate a trust-rich culture within the organisation.

What Matters Most

Transformational goals require a shift in mindsets across the organisation.
Changing ways of thinking starts with reshaping beliefs, attitudes, and assumptions, which is challenging because they are deeply personal.
Trust is the foundational lever that makes mindset change possible, enabling people to feel safe and confident in making necessary changes.
Trust influences our ability to see reality clearly and embrace change.
Perspective shifts begin in small, intentional groups called "pockets," where individuals experiment with new ways of thinking and acting.
These pockets serve as champions of transition, gradually spreading new frames of mind across the organisation.
As communities grow, they foster a larger collective identity and a shared purpose for fundamental change, ultimately forming a movement.
Trust-based transformation increases openness, improves learning, and supports effective social change.
Trust-rich change requires evaluating trust levels, integrating trust into strategic initiatives, and fostering a culture of transparency, collaboration, and personal growth through evidence-based methodologies.