Skip to Main Content
HBS Home
  • About
  • Academic Programs
  • Alumni
  • Faculty & Research
  • Baker Library
  • Giving
  • Harvard Business Review
  • Initiatives
  • News
  • Recruit
  • Map / Directions
Faculty & Research
  • Faculty
  • Research
  • Featured Topics
  • Academic Units
  • …→
  • Harvard Business School→
  • Faculty & Research→
Publications
Publications
  • January 11, 2021
  • Article
  • Harvard Business Review Digital Articles

The Breach of the U.S. Capitol Was a Breach of Trust

By: Sandra J. Sucher and Shalene Gupta
  • Format:Electronic
ShareBar

Abstract

This article frames the January 6th attack of the U.S. Capitol as a betrayal of our trust in government. Using Sucher and Gupta’s trust framework, the article explains how the attacks were a failure of the four elements of trust: competence, motives, fair means, and impact. It also proposes a three-step plan for regaining trust in government: communicating the attacks were wrong, punishing the guilty, and removing the instigators.

Keywords

Violence; Trust; Government and Politics

Citation

Sucher, Sandra J., and Shalene Gupta. "The Breach of the U.S. Capitol Was a Breach of Trust." Harvard Business Review Digital Articles (January 11, 2021).
  • Find it at Harvard
  • Register to Read

About The Author

Sandra J. Sucher

General Management
→More Publications

More from the Authors

    • March 2023
    • Academy of Management Learning & Education

    Developing Moral Muscle in a Literature-based Business Ethics Course

    By: Inge M. Brokerhof, Sandra J. Sucher, P. Matthijs Bal, Frank Hakemulder, Paul G. W. Jansen and Omar N. Solinger
    • March 2023 (Revised May 2023)
    • Faculty Research

    Workforce Change: The Hidden Costs of Layoffs and Managing Staff Reductions

    By: Sandra J. Sucher, Marilyn Morgan Westner and Christopher Diak
    • March 2023
    • Faculty Research

    Layoffs in the Tech Industry: 2022-2023

    By: Sandra J. Sucher and Marilyn Morgan Westner
More from the Authors
  • Developing Moral Muscle in a Literature-based Business Ethics Course By: Inge M. Brokerhof, Sandra J. Sucher, P. Matthijs Bal, Frank Hakemulder, Paul G. W. Jansen and Omar N. Solinger
  • Workforce Change: The Hidden Costs of Layoffs and Managing Staff Reductions By: Sandra J. Sucher, Marilyn Morgan Westner and Christopher Diak
  • Layoffs in the Tech Industry: 2022-2023 By: Sandra J. Sucher and Marilyn Morgan Westner
ǁ
Campus Map
Harvard Business School
Soldiers Field
Boston, MA 02163
→Map & Directions
→More Contact Information
  • Make a Gift
  • Site Map
  • Jobs
  • Harvard University
  • Trademarks
  • Policies
  • Accessibility
  • Digital Accessibility
Copyright © President & Fellows of Harvard College