Sometimes team members shy away from asking others how their project is doing out of fear that it might be perceived as a lack of trust. In such a team the notion of trust has transformed itself into a belief that the other team members will do their work as assumed.

It’s a trust that builds on the idea that there are no misunderstandings, that communication always reaches its destination, and that no one forgets anything.

Such trust has become the assumption that everything will work out as planned. It has become an expectation that the other will perform as expected. Which is also a way to jeopardize one’s own work by denying interdependence.

By focusing on the outcome, the team is not considering the process needed to achieve the work.

Avoiding to ask others out of fear that it might not be perceived well also brings up an interesting paradox. The logic used means that other team members may perceive one’s own intention as bad.