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 in order
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 doesn’t
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 really
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! c
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.
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. c c
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.
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.
c 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.
"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 he 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.
Reference
Reina, D. S., & Reine, M. L. (2009). Trust and betrayal in the workplace: Building effective
relationships in your organization.
Lewis, A. (2022, October 26). Good Leadership? It All Starts With Trust. Harvard Business
Publishing. https://www.harvardbusiness.org/good-leadership-it-all-starts-with-trust/
