Connecting trust and power

Editor-in-Chief, Guido Möllering

doi:10.1080/21515581.2019.1609732

Cited by 7 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 17 publications

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“…Research linking trust and power is rare, 33 and the interaction has been described as ‘puzzling.’ 34 Both concepts are recognised as relational and share a dependence upon the free will of subjects 15,27 . Some research has found those with less power were likely to have less trust as trustee power increased as there was little reason for those with high power to act benevolently 34,35 .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Trust, power and learning in workplace‐based assessment: The trainee perspective

et al. 2021

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For trainees to participate meaningfully in workplace‐based assessment (WBA), they must have trust in their assessor. However, the trainee's dependent position complicates such trust. Understanding how power and trust influence WBAs may help us make them more effective learning opportunities. We conducted semi‐structured interviews with 17 postgraduate anaesthesia trainees across Australia and New Zealand. Sensitised by notions of power, we used constructivist grounded theory methodology to examine trainees' experiences with trusting their supervisors in WBAs. In our trainee accounts, we found that supervisors held significant power to mediate access to learning opportunities and influence trainee progress in training. All episodes where supervisors could observe trainees, from simply working together to formal WBAs, were seen to generate assessment information with potential consequences. In response, trainees actively acquiesced to a deferential role, which helped them access desirable expertise and minimise the risk of reputational harm. Trainees granted trust based on how they anticipated a supervisor would use the power inherent in their role. Trainees learned to ration exposure of their authentic practice to supervisors in proportion to their trust in them. Trainees were more trusting and open to learning when supervisors used their power for the trainee's benefit and avoided WBAs with supervisors they perceived as less trustworthy. If assessment for learning is to flourish, then the trainee–supervisor power dynamic must evolve. Enhancing supervisor behaviour through reflection and professional development to better reward trainee trust would invite more trainee participation in assessment for learning. Modifying the assessment system design to nudge the power balance towards the trainee may also help. Modifications could include designated formative and summative assessments or empowering trainees to select which assessments count towards progress decisions. Attending to power and trust in WBA may stimulate progress towards the previously aspirational goal of assessment for learning in the workplace.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Research linking trust and power is rare, 33 and the interaction has been described as 'puzzling.' 34 Both concepts are recognised as relational and share a dependence upon the free will of subjects.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Trust, power and learning in workplace‐based assessment: The trainee perspective

et al. 2021

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…The subject of power in relation to trust and trustworthiness, although encouragingly mentioned in the literature, is a topic we found lacked in-depth exploration (although see Dietsch et al [2021]). This was also found to be a shortcoming in the wider trust literature (Möllering, 2019). Powerful discourses (produced through scholarship or media) can negatively shape perspectives of other cultures, predisposing willingness to trust certain actors and not others (Said, 1978).…”

Section: Affinitivementioning

confidence: 99%

“…In contrast, powerful actors, such as INGOs, may wield trustworthiness as an asset. There is a strong incentive to do this because having power without being trusted reduces one's ability to influence (Möllering, 2019). Without appearing trustworthy to their donors and the public, INGOs would not be able to legitimately operate (Jepson, 2005).…”

Section: Trust and Trustworthiness As Antecedents To Perceptions Of J...mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Making a case for the consideration of trust, justice, and power in conservation relationships

Saif

Keane

Staddon

2022

Conservation Biology

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In conservation, trust and justice are increasingly recognized as both intrinsically valuable and critical for successful socioecological outcomes. However, the interdependence between these concepts has not been explored. The conservation trust literature provides examples of efforts to build trust between conservationists and local actors; yet, these interventions are often conceived to incentivize local cooperation within dominant paradigms. We argue that when trust building is promoted as a technical fix that does not plan in advance to address power asymmetries in conservation practice, inequities may inadvertently be re‐embedded. Therefore, we conceptualized a framework that joins trust, justice, and power so that critical analyses of conservation partnerships can be more effectively undertaken. We drew on environmental justice theory to better calibrate the trust literature for the historical‐political settings of conservation, especially in the Global South. Justice and trust share strong theoretical links where perceptions of justice shape a willingness to trust, and, equally, trust is a precondition for justice to be perceived. Different forms of trust connect to varied domains of justice and power in different ways, which mediates the outcomes of interventions. We applied our framework to case studies to explore how these interdependences play out in practice. Failure of agencies to attend to issues of maldistribution, misrecognition of cultural values and knowledge, and exclusion from participation strongly compromised trust. Moreover, the ways in which nature‐dependent communities and marginalized conservation workers are trusted, or the conditions under which they give trust, can lead to partnerships being perceived as just or unjust. Focusing on trust and justice can help identify power dynamics so they can be addressed more readily and create space for alternative understandings of partnerships.

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The power-trust cycle in global health: Trust as belonging in relations of dependency

Anderson¹,

Considine

Patterson

2021

Rev. Int. Stud.

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Trust between actors is vital to delivering positive health outcomes, while relationships of power determine health agendas, whose voices are heard and who benefits from global health initiatives. However, the relationship between trust and power has been neglected in the literatures on both international politics and global health. We examine this relationship through a study of relations between faith based organisations (FBO) and donors in Malawi and Zambia, drawing on 66 key informant interviews with actors central to delivering health care. From these two cases we develop an understanding of ‘trust as belonging’, which we define as the exercise of discretion accompanied by the expression of shared identities. Trust as belonging interacts with power in what we term the ‘power-trust cycle’, in which various forms of power undergird trust, and trust augments these forms of power. The power-trust cycle has a critical bearing on global health outcomes, affecting the space within which both local and international actors jockey to influence the ideologies that underpin global health, and the distribution of crucial resources. We illustrate how the power-trust cycle can work in both positive and negative ways to affect possible cooperation, with significant implications for collective responses to global health challenges.

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Connecting trust and power

Cited by 7 publications

References 17 publications

Trust, power and learning in workplace‐based assessment: The trainee perspective

Trust, power and learning in workplace‐based assessment: The trainee perspective

Making a case for the consideration of trust, justice, and power in conservation relationships

The power-trust cycle in global health: Trust as belonging in relations of dependency

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