Adopting a Philosophy of Transparency

Information is tricky. It can be incredibly powerful, both when it’s shared and when it’s withheld. It can move people and organizations in directions either planned or unexpected, depending on how it is released.

And it sometimes seems to have a mind of its own. If you’ve ever tried to keep a secret, you know firsthand how badly that information wants to be set free.

To harness the power of information, an organization must determine how, and how much, it wants to communicate. Based on my years of experience in several different kinds of businesses and organizations, I’ve come to believe that a philosophy of transparency is the best foundation for an effective communications plan.

This is not to say that a leader should communicate every detail about every topic to every person on his team all the time. Organizations will always need some level of confidentiality, especially when dealing with sensitive topics.

However, that doesn’t mean a business should default to secrecy. Rather, I believe maximum transparency should be the normal setting when it comes to communication, and here’s why.

First, transparency leads to better decision-making. Maybe this is the journalist in me talking, but I’ve found that choices made in secret are often problematic at best, and incorrect at worst. When leaders let the light shine on their decisions, and even their decision-making processes, they tend to be more deliberate, accountable, and understandable. That leads to better outcomes.

Second, a philosophy of transparency helps people feel involved in the decision-making process, especially during times of change. Employees want to know how changes will affect them, and they want to know how they can help. According to the 2024 Global Culture Report from the O.C. Tanner Institute, both employees and organizations benefit when workers have a voice in changes. The report says that voice can come through “participating in surveys or focus groups, giving feedback in town halls, or having one-to-one conversations with leaders.” 

When workers’ voices are heard, they have more trust in the organization, along with a stronger sense of community, the report says. And that same consistent, transparent communication strategy also helps managers. 

“Give leaders at all levels information and tools to talk about the change with their teams,” the Global Culture Report says. “And train them to communicate in a way that’s transparent, builds connection, and allows employees to give feedback. When leaders do this, employees are 3x more likely to say communication with their leaders around the change feels genuine and 3x more likely to believe they have adequate time, support, and opportunity to speak up during the change process.”

The third reason to default to transparency is that it gives you more control over information. This may sound counterintuitive, but to paraphrase Princess Leia in “Star Wars,” “The more you tighten your grip on a secret, the more information will slip through your fingers.”

Again, some things need to be confidential, and you should try to keep that information private. But no matter how you try to avoid communicating about something that can and should be shared, the information will tend to find its way to the literal or virtual water cooler. People still receive the information, but you have lost your ability to manage the accuracy and context of the message. And, since they didn’t get the details from you, this damages trust and engagement within your organization.

Remember, information is powerful, and it wants to be free. If you embrace a philosophy of transparency in communications, you can ensure accuracy in your messaging, build trust and connection with employees and managers, and improve the culture of your organization. It takes commitment and work to communicate transparently and effectively, but it’s worth the effort.

What have you done to encourage transparency in your organization? Have you worked for a company that does this well or one that doesn’t? What were the results? Please share your ideas in the comments, and let’s talk about it.