MGT 550_ Discussion_Week 1_ Post 1

I am working towards my master's degree in human resources management. I majored in

Business Economics for my undergrad, but I never had a clear vision of what I wanted to do

with my career. I interned in an HR role for a government agency in my junior year and I have

stayed in HR ever since. I have really come to enjoy all the functions in HR. I currently work

in recruitment, and it is by far my favorite unit. This course is very interesting because as a

recruiter I am constantly talking to hiring managers, candidates, and our budget team to fill

our vacancies. I look forward to learning a lot on this course alongside you all.

To respond to the discussion question, I want to start off by saying that I completely

understand why supervisors do not want to overshare information especially if it does not

directly impact the employee. As a supervisor, I have had an employee that would always

push back work and question every decision taken by me and my superiors and it was

frustrating. Sometimes management is trying a new strategy and all that is required from an

employee is to comply with what is assigned to do. However, I do understand why leaders

may be inclined to share. They want to be transparent and communicate effectively. Also

sharing information provides employees with a full understanding of what the intended

outcome is, and they may be more motivated to be compliant. I work in a fast-paced

environment so when it comes to the ongoing transactions that occur in recruitment, I do

share all details as soon as possible for everyone to be on the same page. It helps avoid

confusion and it allows my employees to feel that I trust them. However, when it comes to

new strategies that I have tried to implement or just test out, I do not share them since it

doesn’t impact them. Once my directors and I decide it is something they want to implement

unit wide, I decide to share it. To pick a side, I do not support the notion that leaders have to

tell employees everything. I know it can be frustrating as an employee but sometimes it is for

the best! b

Now to jump right into the discussion regarding transparency. I think transparency is

necessary even if it does not directly affect employees because it allows a complete

understanding of what is being done and why. For example, at my company people don't

understand why some things are done the way they are but when things are broken down and

explained it gives the "ahhh" moment. It seems to be human nature to at the minimum be kept

in the loop of what is going on for continued employee support and empowerment so to

speak. I completely support this tactic and feel it is one of the many keys for continued

successes in personal and business environments. Am working to complete my masters in

forensic accounting, which will be my third accounting degree as I have both my associates

and bachelors in accounting. I have been in the accounting world for five years first as an

AP/AR clerk and currently as a bookkeeper and Tax credit specialist for tech startups. Prior to

that I worked in the Banking industry. b

What Reina and Reina suggest is simply a trust issue, and a more open communication makes

it so that employees will feel comfortable and open in the work environment even if it doesn’t

pertain to or involve them. The employees will know how they can function best to help the

company succeed because they will know what is going on. If the communication is very

little or need to know they may be worried about impeding a process or get paranoid that they

may be in some sort of trouble even if it has nothing to do with them.

So, I do support the idea of open communication as a leader for these reasons and I think a

leader could find an answer to a problem that they may not have been expecting if the

employees are involved as they will be more comfortable giving input in a more open and

trusting setting. b b

Leaders might provide information about their activities and decision-making, even when

employees may not be directly affected for several reasons. First, sharing information

promotes transparency, which is an essential element of building trust in the workplace. When

leaders are transparent about their actions and decisions, it helps to create a culture of honesty

and integrity, which fosters a sense of security and reduces the likelihood of suspicion and

mistrust among employees (Lewis, 2022).

Second, sharing information about their activities and decision-making process helps

employees understand how their work fits into the larger context of the organization. This

understanding can help employees feel more connected to the organization's mission and

goals, and it can also help them make more informed decisions about how to allocate their

time and resources.

Third, sharing information can help to build a culture of collaboration and teamwork. When

employees have a better understanding of what their colleagues are working on and why, they

are more likely to share information and ideas, which can lead to more creative and effective

problem-solving.

Finally, sharing information can help to build a culture of learning and development. When

employees have access to information about how decisions are made and how work is done,

they can learn from their leaders and colleagues, which can help them develop new skills and

knowledge.

Overall, I support the notion that leaders should provide information about their activities and

decision-making, even when employees may not be directly affected. Transparency, context,

collaboration, and learning are all essential elements of building a healthy and productive

workplace culture.

My name is Yaowen Tan, I go by my English name Kingsley. I am originally from

Guangzhou, China. I moved to US since I was 14 years old. I graduated in St. John's

University in Bachelor of Business Management. I am currently a Branch Operation Manager

in JP Morgan Chase Bank with my 7 years banking experience. I also enjoying spend time on

my church musicianship, and part-time on my journalist, novelist, and fiction writer-ship in

Chinese Literature, and History, also helping couple antique courts as an unlicensed historian

consultant.

Here are my thoughts. Transparency plays an important role in leadership and decision-

making. Reina and Reine (2009) define transparency as sharing important information with

stakeholders. Transparency and ethics are tied to corporate decision-making. Managers

should be transparent in all their undertakings to provide vital information to their followers

and allow them to be part of the organizational decision-making process. Leaders should

provide all important resources and information to facilitate inclusive participation in

company activities. I believe employees or followers should access specific information to

enable them to have a sense of security in their workplace and encourage them to trust their

leaders. The outcomes of an organization’s decision-making process affect the health of the

company and its employees. Thus, there is a need to bring employees on board when making

decisions that affect the future of the organization to strengthen the relationship between the

organization and the employees. Engaging the employees enhances respect and instills a

sense of responsibility in the workplace.

Companies that do not involve their workers when making important business decisions risk

losing employee trust in them. Involving employees in corporate or business decision-making

processes brings transparency to the workplace (Reina & Reine, 2009). However, I do not

think leaders are obliged to share details that are not relevant to the workers’ job descriptions

and duties. For example, some decisions are left off to the management because sharing them

with individuals outside the organization’s leadership might lead to negative outcomes. Any

information that can damage the reputation of an organization should not be shared with all

employees. In addition, some decisions require data that is privy to the company management

only. Nonetheless, managers should educate their employees on business details and

operational processes to promote inter-business employee growth.

My name is Olivia Kichi, I have a very diverse background. I started at community college

taking accounting classes. After that I went to UNCC and studied elementary education and

special education. I received a double bachelor’s degree and continued to teach for 3 years.

The pandemic hit, and I moved to full-time nannying. I used this as an opportunity to go back

to school and to study for my master’s in accounting. I am currently working as a tax intern at

a moderately sized accounting firm in Pittsburgh. I started in January and worked through

busy season. I am continuing to work as a tax intern throughout the summer and then

switching to try audit in the fall. Interesting fact - I have two cats and a dog that I am obsessed

with, not interesting but a huge part of my life.

"Assume that they are obligated to share only what they need to complete specific tasks or

projects" (p.45)

Transparency is a very tricky topic. I think that a certain level of transparency is very

important for making connections. On the other hand, people should not feel obligated to be

transparent but feel a want to be transparent. Encouraging an open and safe place allows

people to have a want to be transparent instead of feeling forced to be transparent.

I think that leaders providing information about activities and decision making to employees

even when it does not directly affect them is a good way to create a safe place. Leaders

discussing information with employees gives employees a sense of involvement, even if they

are not involved in the decision making. In addition, if the employers discuss information

with employees, they would be able to get good feedback that would create an open space that

will create a culture within the business. I support giving employees information, the more an

employee knows the more they will be able to make connections to understand why they do

the things they do.