A Key to Success in Collaboration: Leveraging the Agreement-Trust Matrix!
Two factors that are an incredibly powerful force in developing collaborative relationships are agreement and trust. In 1987, Peter Block, corporate consultant wrote The Empowered Manager where he introduced his Agreement-Trust Matrix. The matrix has been reproduced, tweaked, and altered many times over the past several decades and has found itself included in many textbooks, blogs, podcasts, and leadership articles. There is a good chance you been exposed to it, but if you haven’t it can be an incredibly valuable tool when it comes to human relationships.
One of the most critical leadership behaviors is the ability to align teams and create connections. Being able to identify how individuals impact the morale and performance of others is a critical meta-skill in our turbulent and complex world. When these two components, agreement and trust, are placed on a 2 x 2 matrix it generates a very helpful snapshot of four different types of people we have to work with, those four types are:
1. Allies/friends = high agreement and high trust
2. Opponents = high trust and low agreement
3. Bedfellows = low trust and high agreement
4. Adversaries/enemies = low trust and low agreement
Learning to work with each of these types of people is critical. However, before we can work with them, we need to identify them. More importantly, is learning how you are being perceived by your teammates relative to this matrix. Are you perceived as an ally, an opponent or one of the others? Having this level of awareness of how you are affecting your colleagues can be a significant advantage and a great way to inform your behavior.
This matrix is fluid. Depending on the context the same people may occupy different positions on the matrix. Don’t fall into the trap of believing, once an ally always an ally. Or once an adversary always an adversary. For example, a colleague working with you on Project X may be an opponent, that same colleague on Project Z may be a bedfellow. Learning to discern the ebb-and-flow of people between the four quadrants combined with an astute awareness of your own movement on the matrix relative to context is an incredible asset… and even a superpower!
Leadership Take-a-ways:
- Relationship Building: Agreement and trust are vital for collaboration.
- Four Categories: People fall into four basic categories based on the degree of agreement and trust.
- Leadership Skills: Effective leaders can align teams and understand how individuals affect team dynamics.
- Adaptability: People’s positions on the matrix can change based on context, so it’s essential to be flexible in your approach.
- Self-awareness: Knowing how you’re perceived (ally, opponent, etc.) is an advantage in building relationships.
Matthew Kutz, Ph.D. is an author, speaker and clinical professor. www.matthewkutz.com
