Healthy teams are not built solely on competence, efficiency, or good intentions. In complex organizational environments, team effectiveness depends on how trust is enacted in real time, especially under conditions of uncertainty and pressure. This accepted scholarly research presentation introduces Mindful Trust Theory, a framework that reframes trust as an attention-mediated stance rather than a static belief or personality trait.
Drawing from organizational mindfulness, sensemaking, and dual-process cognition, the research defines mindful trust as trust with awareness. Rather than assuming trust is always beneficial, the study argues that the quality of trust depends on attentional stance and relational discernment. In high-reliability and VUCA contexts, how teams pay attention to one another matters as much as whether they trust.
Using cluster analysis and partial least squares structural equation modeling, the study identifies three distinct cognitive-trust profiles that emerge within teams. Mindful Trusters demonstrate high trust and high mindfulness, supporting adaptive decision-making and psychological safety. Mindless Trusters exhibit high trust with low mindfulness, increasing vulnerability to oversight and coordination failures. Skeptical Mindfuls show high mindfulness with low trust, enabling critical evaluation but often limiting cohesion and relational openness. Notably, the absence of a “Mindless Skeptic” profile suggests that healthy, high-reliability environments may implicitly filter for at least one form of cognitive or relational engagement.
This research challenges long-standing assumptions that trust is universally positive. Instead, it positions organizational health as contingent on attentional quality, shared sensemaking, and the balance between openness and discernment. The framework offers meaningful implications for leadership development, team design, and organizational health initiatives in complex systems.
Designed for scholars and practitioners interested in leadership, organizational behavior, and team performance, this session provides both theoretical advancement and practical insight into cultivating healthier teams through mindful trust.
Author and Affiliation
Stephanie Gapud, Spring Hill College
Join us at the SAM International Business Conference to engage with this research and explore how mindful trust can strengthen psychological safety, adaptability, and sustainable team performance in complex organizations.
Register to attend the conference at www.samnational.org/conference and take part in conversations shaping the future of management and organizational research.