How to Maintain Trust Relationships and Collectively Make Sense in a Crisis Situation?

Theories and Methodologies
By Laurent Karsenty
English

What conditions should be met for actors facing an unexpected crisis to continue in trusting each other and collectively making sense of the situation, a major step on the path that can lead to its resolution? To answer this question, a theoretical conceptualization of the relationship between trust and collective sensemaking is conducted, drawing on work from several disciplines (psychology, social psychology, sociology, management science). Based on this model, two interrelated assumptions are argued from a theoretical standpoint: (1) trust, which may reassure team members about their capacity to deal with the perceived risks in their situation, is a condition of collective sensemaking; (2) collective sensemaking, which enables to maintain team cohesion and define a credible action plan, is a condition of trust. To conclude, the article identifies a set of measures to apply in order to enhance crisis management.

Keywords

  • crisis management
  • trust climate
  • trust relationships
  • collective sensemaking
  • collective work
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