In this article
Trust is easy to name in a set of values and harder to recognize in an actual decision. Trusting relationships are one of eight historical OQM quality characteristics. Stephen M. R. Covey’s wave model offers a way to explore how credibility extends from a person’s conduct to relationships and institutions. The 2011 dissertation adds a sixth, religious layer for its Christian OQM setting. The waves are a metaphor, not a newly discovered law or an OQM experiment. Source: dissertation, pp. 110–114.
Five waves and their historical extension for OQM
The historical model lists trust in God, trust in oneself, trust in relationships, organizational trust, market trust and societal trust. The dissertation says explicitly that Covey presented five waves and that OQM adds the first, religious dimension. A secular presentation today should neither erase that origin nor portray faith as an empirically measured requirement for teamwork. Dissertation, pp. 113–114.
The sequence depicts widening reach: from one’s own actions to other people, an organization and its wider environment. It does not establish that every person or institution must pass through fixed stages. For a business, the practical question is whether internal conduct supports its external promises.
Personal credibility: intentions need capability
The personal wave draws on Covey’s “trust tree”: integrity, intentions, capabilities and results all matter. Good motives do not finish an assignment if the promised expertise is missing. A strong result is less reassuring when it was obtained through deception. Dissertation, pp. 116–119.
An actionable question is: What did we promise, what were we able to deliver, and what did others actually experience? It invites evidence without pretending that trust can be reduced to one score. It also makes room to admit a limitation before a missed promise becomes a surprise.
Relationship trust: what happens when someone disagrees?
Behavior matters more than good intentions alone. Do decisions match the stated values? Can criticism be specific and respectful? Does a manager respond to a difficult observation with inquiry or defensiveness? The chapter also cites Covey and Daniel Goleman. Images such as the “trust account” and advice on constructive criticism are borrowed perspectives, not original OQM research findings. Dissertation, pp. 119–121.
Consider the last uncomfortable piece of feedback in a team. Was a problem clarified, an error acknowledged or a choice explained? Silence after an employee survey can speak louder than a statement about transparency. That is one reason reporting survey results back matters.
Organizational trust does not abolish safeguards
The dissertation contrasts open information and learning from mistakes with a workplace where people hide problems and leaders answer suspicion with more controls. The claim that trust can make coordination faster is a management argument in the historical text, not a measured effect size in this chapter. Dissertation, pp. 111–113 and 121–122.
Some controls remain necessary for safety, finance and privacy. A better question is whether a rule addresses a real risk or merely masks uncertainty. Clear ownership, proportionate checks and decisions that can be explained can coexist with trust. Removing every review step would be a poor interpretation of the model.
Market and society: promises meet the outside world
The outer waves concern reputation with customers and contribution to the community. The dissertation illustrates these with historical examples and figures. They are not current rankings, nor evidence that a specific trust initiative automatically raises revenue. The enduring question is whether the organization’s actions toward staff, customers and the public agree with the values it claims. Dissertation, pp. 122–125.
For OQM, trust is therefore a subject for inquiry and accountable decisions rather than an untested promise. The research overview explores the method’s origins and development. The 2008 questionnaire evidence brief presents the eight scales and their reported measurement values.
Source: Stephan Wesely, dissertation on OQM (2011).