🌴 Hana’s Story: Building Trust in Her Palm Oil Mill

Hana had been managing her palm oil mill for nearly a decade. She knew that technical expertise alone was not enough to keep the plant running smoothly. Machines could be repaired, boilers could be overhauled, but human trust—once broken—was much harder to fix.

One day, during a scheduled maintenance shutdown, a major issue surfaced. The workers discovered cracks in one of the key boiler components. Some employees whispered that management might cover it up to save costs. Hana sensed the tension in the air.

Instead of hiding, Hana gathered her team in the workshop. With sincerity, she explained the issue openly, acknowledged the risks, and invited suggestions on how to proceed. She emphasized that safety would always come before profits. The room was silent at first, but slowly, voices began to rise. Technicians shared their concerns, operators suggested preventive steps, and the maintenance head proposed a long-term plan.

By involving her team, Hana demonstrated cognitive-based trust (confidence in their competence) and affective-based trust (valuing their relationships and emotions)¹. The workers saw that she trusted their expertise and respected their input.

Weeks later, when the boiler was safely repaired, Hana noticed a transformation. Employees worked with renewed energy, communication flowed more openly, and even small tasks were carried out with greater care. Trust had become the “lubricant” that kept her mill’s organizational engine running without unnecessary friction².

Hana realized that her true role was not just to manage machines, but to build an environment where people trusted each other and their leader. That trust, once nurtured, turned into collective strength that no technical failure could easily break.

Rujukan penuh:
Dirks, K. T., & Ferrin, D. L. (2001). The role of trust in organizational settings. Organization Science, 12(4), 450–467.

📌 Apa yang artikel ini bincangkan:
Artikel ini ialah literature review yang sangat berpengaruh dalam bidang psikologi organisasi & pengurusan, khususnya tentang peranan kepercayaan (trust) dalam tempat kerja.

🔑 Isi utama artikel:

1. Definisi Trust

   • Trust dilihat sebagai kepercayaan bahawa orang lain akan bertindak dengan niat baik, jujur, dan boleh diandalkan walaupun ada risiko.

   • Mereka tekankan bahawa trust bukan sekadar emosi, tapi melibatkan ekspektasi terhadap tingkah laku pihak lain.

2. Dua Dimensi Trust

   • Cognitive-based trust → berdasarkan kompetensi & kebolehan. Contohnya, seorang pekerja percaya kepada jurutera senior sebab tahu dia mahir.

   • Affective-based trust → berasaskan hubungan & emosi, contohnya percaya sebab ada hubungan baik, sokongan, dan empati.

3. Kesan Trust dalam organisasi

   • Kerjasama meningkat – pekerja lebih rela berkongsi maklumat & bekerjasama.

   • Prestasi lebih baik – pasukan dengan tahap trust tinggi lebih inovatif & berdaya tahan.

   • Konflik berkurang – kerana ada rasa saling percaya dan tidak mudah salah sangka.

   • Kepimpinan lebih berkesan – pemimpin yang membina trust lebih mudah menggerakkan orang lain.

4. Trust sebagai “lubricant” organisasi

   • Mereka gunakan analogi bahawa trust ibarat pelincir dalam mesin organisasi: ia tidak kelihatan, tetapi tanpa trust, semua proses jadi lambat dan penuh geseran.

5. Model Cadangan

   • Artikel ini mencadangkan rangka kerja (framework) tentang bagaimana trust terbina, faktor yang mempengaruhi, dan akibatnya terhadap hasil organisasi.

📖 Kenapa penting?

• Artikel ini sering dijadikan rujukan utama (highly cited, lebih 10,000 citation di Google Scholar) dalam kajian kepimpinan, kerjasama pasukan, HR, dan komunikasi organisasi.

• Ia bantu pemimpin & pengurus faham bahawa membangun trust lebih penting daripada sekadar mengawal atau memerintah.

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