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March 1, 2025
Transparency- How Much Is Right?
Given the many changes happening in the United States with the change of power in political parties and control and the fear that it creates, “transparency” is a big consideration in most public organizations right now. Whether you are talking about financially transparent, politically transparent, operationally transparent, or being transparent internally with employees, or externally with stakeholder groups, the real question isn’t if we should be transparent, the real question should be how transparent can you be? How much is appropriate?
"The goal of transparency is to create trust"
What does it mean to be transparent?
Are we talking about being able to see through something, or are we talking about being “open, frank, and candid?” Or are we talking about the fairness and the transparency of the processes by which decisions are made, hearing all parties before a decision is made, using fair procedure leads to equitable outcomes for those involved?
The Goal of Transparency:
The goal of transparency is to create trust. Trust is not possible unless there is some level of vulnerability. Vulnerability, allows for people to feel that they can trust the other. (For more on this read The Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni.) Trust is not something that is created instantly, and requires time, and multiple instances of having been given correct and congruent information. So, the more you can build trust when there is no conflict, the easier it will be to maintain the trust (in lieu of 100% transparency) when there is a conflict, especially if you as a leader have been transparent, congruent, and trustworthy in the past.
Why can’t leaders be 100% transparent?
While conducting doctoral research with police chiefs in California, one of the surprise findings was that each chief discussed the concept of being transparent while describing how they dealt with conflict involving internal or external stakeholders, but each chief also pointed out that ethically it was impossible to be completely transparent. When asked why they couldn’t be 100% transparent, the chiefs cited federal and state laws, personnel rules, legal actions, CBA's, MOU’s, contracts and agreements and other considerations of privacy that they were responsible to ensure were followed for legal and liability reasons. But not just for themselves, for the employees, crime victims, witnesses, innocent citizens who happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. They also talked about the integrity of investigations, both internal and external, criminal and civil. All of these required a certain amount of confidentiality, and all expressed their duty in their positions as leaders to uphold those factors. In each of the situations that was discussed with the chiefs they all said they wanted to be transparent, but their position of responsibility required that they not give all of the information available for many of the reasons previously listed or to protect the integrity of the investigations into the incidents.
So, as leaders, how much “transparency” is appropriate?
How can you use transparency to show the stakeholders (clients, suppliers, partners, constituents, both internal and external), other organizations, and the public that you are being truthful? Remember, “Their perception is their reality, but their misperception is also their reality.” So, if they feel you are hiding something, what will that do to the levels of trust that you are trying to achieve? You, as the leader, are going to have to evaluate the situation and make the decision about how much information you allow to be released or used given the parameters you have to work within. There is no “one answer” to how much information is appropriate to release. It is all situational, and the consequences of the release of information must be considered and balanced against the right for others to know. Consider, how much damage to another person could “unchecked complete transparency” cause? One thing to ponder in making that decision, is the goal of transparency. Remember, the goal of transparency is to create trust.
Putting It All Together:
The question of “How transparent can a leader really be,” can really only be answered with “that depends.” It depends on the circumstances or context of the situation, which will usually dictate how transparent a leader should be, but to expect 100% transparency, 100% of the time, is probably impractical! What will help leaders the most, is being congruent in their words and actions, i.e., making their words and their actions match. People understand that there is a need to keep some information confidential, so if it needs to be confidential, at least tell them why. Most people will understand the reasons. If they are having a hard time understanding, ask them, “If you were the person (victim, suspect, employee, citizen, etc.) would you be O.K. with me telling everyone everything about you and your issues? This may allow them to look at the different perspective or perception, and gain a new reality and possibly respond differently. But even if it feels right, err on the side of caution, it shows value and respect for others as well as respect for the rules.
Quotes to Put into Practice:
“ A lack of transparency results in distrust and a deep sense of insecurity.”
– Dalai Lama
“One man’s transparency, is another man’s humiliation.”
- Gerry Adams, Politician