What is Trust?

One characteristic is constant in any type of relationship: trust. If you can’t trust your significant other, friends, family or even the brand you’re purchasing from as a consumer, then that relationship won’t last. Trust is a widely studied concept both by itself and as a component of the quality of relationships. Research has shown that trust is one of six independently measurable components of a relationship. Regardless of the type of relationship, trust is an essential part and there are three dimensions that are measurable and holds many characteristics. I will be looking specifically at the trust between a business and consumer relationship.

Competence is the belief that someone has the ability to do something. If an organization falls through on delivering what they promised or are unable to complete a task at hand, consumers will stray to a competitor that may be more competent. Competence proves that a brand can compete and survive in the marketplace. Integrity is the belief that something is fair and just. It is important for an organization to have integrity so that consumers can respect the brand. Dependability can also be known as reliability and is the belief that someone will do what they say they will do an acts consistently on it. Competence, integrity and dependability/reliability are three dimensions of trust that are measurable.

There are many more characteristics of trust than there are dimensions. Characteristics cannot be measured as easily, but are still important in building relationships. A few of these characteristics are multilevel, dynamic and culturally rooted. Trust results from positive interactions. For this reason, it’s important to have a wide network in your organization and publics. When doing so, you hold the multilevel characteristic of trust. Having dynamic is important because trust is constantly changing because it cycles through phases of building and destabilizing. Having dynamic is important to be able to measure trust. Lastly, trust is closely tied to the norms, values and beliefs of culture. Therefore, it is crucial to understand self-image as a company and be culturally rooted.

Trust seems like a simple concept. Don’t lie and always be honest. I’ve learned there are several aspects to trust and how it can be measured. Trust is not only critical for relationships involving significant others and friends, but also for companies and their consumers. Trust is measured for marketing purposes for organizations. Business cannot succeed if they don’t have consumers that trust their brand and their culture. Trust may be a simple concept in light, but there is a lot that goes into it and how it keeps relationships of all sorts thriving.