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As a senior leader, do you sometimes feel that you need to keep important information from your team in order to protect them, or to maintain a sense of control?<\/p>
Or perhaps you’re unsure about asking for their feedback for fear of having to address multiple conflicting viewpoints.<\/p>
In this article we\u2019ll explore the development and use of “transparent communication.” We’ll also navigate when it pays not to be<\/strong> transparent, and examine its potential impact on your organization (in other words, does it actually work!).<\/p>\n\n Transparent communication evolved in the early 2000s after a widespread public backlash against high-level corporate greed, conspiracy and fraud.<\/p> High-profile scandals involving companies such as Tyco, Enron and WorldCom caused outrage. Public trust in major institutions collapsed, and employees’ trust in their own organizations took a dive, as the scale of shady, secret deceptions were dragged into the light.<\/p> Senior leaders knew radical change was required to repair the damage. So they moved toward far more open and honest dialogue with their own teams and people, and with the wider world. It was called “organizational transparency,” which became transparent communication. [1]<\/p> In 2017, a team of U.S.-based communication experts \u2013 Bokyung Kim, Eunhae Park, and Glen Cameron \u2013 explored the impact of transparent communication on organizations, and provided a definition of a leader’s role in adopting and supporting it:<\/p> \u201cTo provide sufficient and reliable information to employees in a timely manner, remove obstacles to internal information flow, being authentic and accountable in communicating organizational or job-related issues, and listening to employee opinions and criticism.\u201d [2]<\/p> In practical, day-to-day terms, transparent communication means:<\/p> You’d be forgiven for thinking that being transparent means to share almost every detail of your whole operation. But that’s not the case. <\/p> Being transparent is more about leading with authenticity and accountability<\/a>. It’s of particular importance for senior leaders, who tend to set the tone and communication standards for those they are responsible for.<\/p> So how do you go about becoming a transparent communicator? Understanding it and demonstrating it will take time and patience, and the results may not become apparent for some time. <\/p> But with experience and willingness to adopt it, the benefits can be transformational for your organization. The 2017 study by Kim et al found these benefits include: [3]<\/p> Kim’s team identified three constructs, or pillars, that supported the concept of transparent communication between senior leaders and their teams:<\/p> Let’s look at these in more detail.<\/p>\n\n This fundamental first element means engaging your people before<\/strong> you make big decisions, and involving them in the process. In practice, this might mean holding informal conversations to gauge opinion, or a more structured process that makes use of surveys and polls.<\/p> The key challenge here is to present your approach in such a way that makes people feel genuinely included, and not simply like they\u2019re taking part in a box-checking exercise.<\/p> To do this, share stories about how past decisions were made through employee engagement<\/a>, or hold the conversation on work time, in a different venue so the team feels the exercise is genuinely important to you.<\/p>\n\n When engaging people to understand their thoughts, feelings and opinions on a subject, it\u2019s important to provide the right balance of information. And that information should be relevant, accurate and delivered clearly, in timely fashion.<\/p> Microsoft is a good example of how to collect feedback in a relevant and timely way. Each year, the company conducts an Employee Voice survey for retrospective feedback, but it also offers a tool called Daily Pulse for continuous, real-time commentary. This stage is possibly the most tricky for leaders to implement, because it needs regular evaluation and tweaking to get \u201cright.\u201d<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n\n Transparent communication goes both ways. To build real trust between leaders and employees, companies should not avoid or obscure difficult truths.<\/p> If a mistake has been made, leaders should choose to own their errors<\/a>. Equally, if something more consequential is brewing, such as cash-flow challenges or redundancies, companies should aim to be as transparent, supportive and compassionate about this as possible, and as early as they can.<\/p> Holding your cards close to your chest might seem like a sensible approach, but it runs the risk of encouraging your employees to do the same. Vulnerability and openness, especially during tough times, can build trust and loyalty. These qualities are what help build strong teams, and strong businesses.<\/p>\n\n As a leader, you’re likely in possession of information that you need to withhold or protect. Here are some examples of information that you should be cautious about revealing too soon \u2013 or even at all: <\/p> That’s the big question! Without beating about the bush, the answer is yes.<\/p> You’ve seen the benefits listed, above. And they aren’t just glib guesses to make you feel good as a leader. The feedback loop of communicating openly with your employees, and involving them in decision making where appropriate can be proved to foster better collaboration and increased productivity.<\/p> Let’s look at some hard stats from organizations that build and cultivate a high-trust environment. A 2017 report by Harvard Business Review revealed that employees in such organizations report: [4]<\/p>What Is Transparent Communication?<\/h2>\n\n
Getting Into a Transparent Communication Mindset<\/h2>\n\n
The 3 Key Constructs of Transparent Communication<\/h2>\n\n
1. Participation<\/h3>\n\n
2. Substantial Information<\/h3>\n\n
Case Study:<\/h4>\n\n
3. Accountability<\/h3>\n\n
Balancing Transparent Communication With Confidentiality<\/h2>\n\n
Does Transparent Communication Work?<\/h2>\n\n