Tending the Garden: A Literature Synthesis About Repairing Trust Damaged by Turmoil between Workers and Their Organizations

Trust between workers and their organizations can help strengthen organizations and assist them in achieving their goals. However, workplace turmoil can damage and even destroy trust. Once trust is damaged, a decision is needed. This study examines the role of organizational trust and the importance of repairing damaged organizational trust by drawing upon the analysis of 87 articles addressing organizational trust theory that were published between 1998 and 2011. Using Evidence-Based Research Synthesis (EBRS) as the research methodology, this study explores the literature and synthesized findings to determine the critical factors involved in repairing damaged organizational trust. This study finds that organizational trust damaged by turmoil between workers and their organizations may be repaired through quick action, but perhaps not repaired to the original level. Three business examples were used as illustrative cases. Twelve critical factors were identified as essential in repairing damaged organizational trust between workers and their organizations.