Trust

Description 1

Definitions of trust typically refer to a situation characterised by the following aspects: One party (trustor) is willing to rely on the actions of another party (trustee); the situation is directed to the future ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trust_(social_sciences) Wikipedia)

Source: Knowledge Management for Nuclear Industry Operating Organizations

Description 2

A high level of trust creates a safer environment for knowledge sharing!

There are two major types of trust:

• personal trust
• knowledge or topical trust (trust in another person's skills and knowledge)

One might not trust a co-worker on a personal level, but still might trust in his skills and knowledge - trust his professional judgment. However, personal and knowledge trust are usually related and most people prefer to work with those about whom they fell positive about.

If the trust level is high, people feel that:

• sharing their knowledge is safe and will not have negative consequences,
• there is some reciprocal value (either immediately or at some point in future) that they get back for sharing their knowledge