How to Analyze Trust and Value

How to Analyze Trust and Value

One of the most significant measures within PARTNER CPRM is our validated trust and value scores. Among the many qualitative factors involved in collaboration, research points to these two as critical indicators and predictors of success. By measuring perceptions of trust and value across your partners, you can identify which relationships are strongest in your community and which require more attention. 

Value is the spark that often starts a new partnership, as both entities see potential value in working together vs apart. If you invite someone to collaborate, but there's no clear benefit for them, they are unlikely to show up. Effective partnerships create value for everyone.

Trust is the glue that keeps people accountable and engaged for the long run. When we trust other people, and we know they trust us, we are more likely to follow through on our commitments, show up to meetings and events, and engage fully and thoughtfully with group efforts.

Asking about trust and value is fraught, as people are easily biased and provide unrealistic answers. We developed our own trust and value scores, each calculated using three sub-indicator questions that capture one specific aspect of trust or value in a network relationship. Here's how we break it down:

Trust Score:

  1. Openness to Communication
  2. Partner Reliability
  3. Shared Mission

Value Score:

  1. Power & Influence
  2. Resource Contribution
  3. Level of Involvement
With few exceptions, a greater level of diversity in your network leads to more opportunities to discover new resources, ideas, and innovations. While diverse networks may require more time for facilitation and process, the benefits are almost always worth the time and effort.

How to Assess Trust and Value Network Scores

  1. Open a capture with trust and value data and click "Analyzer".
  2. Click "Network Scores" in the analyzer sub-menu.
  3. Review the primary trust and value scores and each of the six indicators.
  4. Use the small arrows to sort the member list to see who scored highest and lowest in each area.
  5. Click the button at the top that says "Network Scores" to view your overall average trust and value scores for the entire network.
Click "export scores" to download your raw trust and value data for further analysis.


How to Assess Your Trust and Value with Network Maps

You can also assess your trust and value using the Analyzer Network Mapping feature.
  1. While in the Network Analyzer, click "Network Mapping" at the top right.
  2. Open the node settings on the left, click the dropdown menu under "Size By" and click "Overall Trust" or "Overall Value."
  3. If the network nodes are too crowded, open the styling settings (paintbrush icon) to reduce the size of the nodes.
  4. Click the save icon when ready.


Key Questions:

  1. Are any overall trust and value scores under 75% (3 out of 4)?
  2. Are there adequate overall levels of trust and value in the network to achieve your desired outcomes?
  3. Is there a particular dimension of trust or value that is low relative to the other dimensions?
  4. Who are the most trusted and valued members of the network?
  5. What is the distribution of trust and value across individual members of the network?

Strategic Action Steps:

  • Focus on continuing to build trust among members.
  • Leverage the different ways members bring value to the network.
  • Identify areas of strength and weakness. Celebrate particularly high overall trust or value scores and take steps to maintain these. Frame lower scores as opportunities for growth and strategize ways to improve them.
  • Identify network members with the highest individual trust and value scores, and make sure that these members’ strengths are properly leveraged. Consider also whether the high score is more a reflection of the overall organization or the individual organizational representative—or both. However, take great care to preserve the confidentiality of individual trust and value scores. Breaking this confidentiality can jeopardize the overall level of trust within a network.
Next, we'll introduce you to the PARTNER CPRM Report Builder and how it helps you share your insights and analysis.

Next Article: Introduction to Reports



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