The Impact of Trust in Time of Covid-19: Trust in Crisis Management and Crisis Communication in Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences

Results from a quantitative study evaluating crisis management and communication in Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences during the spring of 2020 showed a generally high degree of satisfaction with crisis management. Crisis management and crisis communication were characterized by clarity, trust and security. The transition to digital teaching methods seemed to have worked out satisfactorily. However, results varied between the institution level and the department level. In this chapter we aim to explain these variations in opinion by analyzing qualitative data from group interviews and free texts collected from our questionnaire. In our thematic analysis we identified the following central themes connected to the impact of trust in crisis management: Information and communication, management and organization, transition to digital teaching, and workload. Trust in crises management seems to be strong when: (1) expectations of being taken care of are met, (2) when information comes on time and is precise, (3) when self-managed work during the crisis is appreciated by colleagues and management. Trust declines when expectations are violated, whether consciously or unconsciously. In a complex and enduring crisis such as the Covid-19 pandemic, authorities will continuously have to balance trust with control in order to gain a perceived risk level that ensures compliance from the population. If there is too much reliance of trust, the situation can come out of control when people no longer see the point in following strict regulations, either because the measures taken are not working as expected or because the spreading of the disease appears to be lowering from natural causes. Conversely, having too much control can undermine the positive effects of trust, leading to disappointment, frustration and disobedience.