Trust in Classroom-as-Organization Simulations: Parallel Experiences of Participants and Facilitators

Abstract

Background. As classroom-as-organization (CAO) simulations unfold within corporate or higher education classrooms, novice facilitators and their participants experience uncertainty in the absence of familiar and implicit sources of trust. Initial trust derived from the context, simulation, peers, and one’s self wanes as awareness dawns regarding the magnitude of difference between CAO and typical classrooms. New sources of trust arise from shared sensemaking about unfamiliar roles and interactions, growing confidence in redistributed responsibilities and authority, an environment characterized by psychological safety, feedback, and behavioral experimentation modeled upon the experiential learning cycle ( Kolb, 1976 ). Purpose. This article examines the parallel experiences of participants and novice facilitators as they initially lose trust in CAO simulations and those involved, and discover new sources of trust related to the simulation design. Using first- and second-hand experiences and extant literatures on trust and teaching and learning, the erosion of initial trust is explored, as well as how CAO simulation design principles foster new sources of emergent trust. Conclusion. Understanding the ebb and flow of participants’ trust in CAO simulations allows for targeted facilitation and coaching. Novice facilitators who examine how their own trust experiences parallel those of participants gain insight into interventions and empathy into the participant experience within this fully-experiential learning environment. Empirical research is needed to examine the mechanisms of trust loss and rebuilding in CAO simulations in relation to the enactment of unfamiliar roles, routines, and responsibilities.