ISSUE 176 : Jul/Aug - 2008 - Australian Defence Force Journal

… the willingness of a party to be vulnerable to the actions of another party based on the
expectation that the other will perform a particular action important to the trustor, irrespective
of the ability to monitor or control that other party.
Trust, formed on the basis of close personal relationships, was vital to one particularly important
aspect of interoperability⎯enabling the more timely sharing of classified information. As
illustrated in the previous section, ADF personnel spoke at length about denied or delayed
access to US classified information. In many cases where such information was shared, trust
appeared to be a necessary precondition, as the following account suggests:
If they weren’t getting any joy with the Americans, their offsiders, what they would do is come
to me and say, ‘Hey listen … we’re trying to get this information or we want this product. We’re
not getting any joy through this level’. I would then take it straight across to the American HQ
… because I’d built those relationships … he would bend over backwards to make sure that
we got what we needed.
Trust and relationship building were identified by most study participants as an essential factor
for any future coalition operations and for information sharing. People spoke about trust as
the glue that kept human networks and interconnections aligned and it was also seen as an
essential, underlying foundation for collaboration:
… you also very quickly build up a rapport with people, and if you can build up a rapport very
quickly and get to know them and they get to trust you and you trust them, it becomes a lot
easier.
… it was in our best interest both professionally, socially and militarily to mix as much as we
could. I think we were much better off for doing so.
Almost all the interviewees said that breaking perceived barriers and establishing a personal
connection was crucial to establishing a productive relationship and building trust. Discovering
non-work related commonalities allowed them to relate to each other on more than an
instrumental basis. Socialising was identified as a vehicle for developing wider networks; it
enabled people to get to know each other and build trust:
I mean, even with the little bit of rapport that we had, the results were astounding – the things
they were willing to do for us, just so we would give them a stuffed koala! … The socialisation
did contribute a lot to the success of our mission.
Getting to know each other and establishing rapport were seen as vital steps in building a
team, 7 building external relationships, and in achieving set goals. As team-members got to know
each other they become aware of each other’s strengths and weaknesses, what they could, or
could not do, their expertise and experience. People used various ways and means to develop
these connections and networks and they all pointed out that it paid dividends in promoting
interpersonal trust and paved a way for subsequent information and resource sharing:
… you take time out of your really incredibly hectic day to sort of spend some time with them
and just sit down quietly and just sort of talk about the work and whatever else. And you have
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