Trust trumps competence (almost)

IDEO is known to have a culture of innovation and collaboration. In a study reported in the January-February 2014 issue of the Harvard Business Review, IDEO employees rated their helpers on trust, competence and accessibility.

  • The competence ratings were a little higher for their “best ” helpers than a random colleague, but not very different.
  • Accessibility ratings were  twice as high for the best helper compared to a random colleague but
  • Trust ratings were three times as high for the best helpers compared to a random colleague.

Wow.