Trust & Trustworthiness

Trust

Trust is critical in risk management, shaping organizational behavior and internal/external relationships. It refers to the belief that an entity—whether a person, process, or organization—will behave predictably in specific circumstances. Trust can be based on both objective evidence (e.g., product testing) and subjective factors (e.g., comfort and experience), and it is often earned through experience or measurement. Trust is generally situational and not transitive (e.g., trusting a friend doesn’t extend to trusting their friend).

Trustworthiness

Trustworthiness refers to the confidence in an entity’s qualifications, capabilities, and reliability to perform specific tasks. It applies to people, processes, and IT systems and can be measured to varying degrees. Trustworthiness plays a key role in establishing trust relationships, which influence risk decisions made by senior leaders.

(Source : NIST SP 800-39).