Rules and relationship-based cultures

The second cultural value in the TRAFIC model is trust, with its value being based on a continuum between rules and relationships.

Cultures can differ in how people form trust. In some cultures, rules are used as a foundation that allows different parties to build trust. In other cultures, trust is formed by firstly building relationships between individuals or groups.

People from rules-based cultures may…

• Have a shared agreed set of laws or rules which underpin society and organisations. It doesn’t matter who you are, or your position in society, the rules should apply to you equally;
• Respect experts who ‘know the rules’ for the organisations or groups they belong to. Examples could include, lawyers, police, a HR manager or religious leaders;
• Frown upon those who try to circumvent rules;
• Refer to ‘laws’, ‘guidelines’, ‘contracts’, ‘frameworks’, ‘processes’, ‘stamps or signatures’ etc.

People from relationship-based cultures may…

• Expect individuals within society, organisations or groups to initially rely upon other individuals they already know and trust;
• Look for an introduction to someone they don’t know from someone they do know;
• Expect to build a relationship first before embarking on any commitments;
• Expect help from those they have a relationship with;
• Understand that ‘it’s not what you know, but who you know’, and that rules are sometimes bent.

Different perspectives in rules-based cultures vs relationship-based cultures

Consider the following situations:

A manager in a relationship-based culture offers her nephew a lofty position in the company, despite the fact that this nephew is unqualified. A rule-based colleague of this manager tells his counterparts: “They’ll always help their friends and family over more qualified candidates. It’s nepotism. They cannot be trusted.”

VS

On the opposite side, the relationship-based manager sees her rule-based colleague pass up a friend for a position in lieu of a more qualified candidate. She tells her team: “He will not even help a friend? How can we trust him?”

Are these different attitudes and approaches towards forming trust something that you have observed before? How have they influenced your interactions with others?