Trust, communication, and transparency have interesting interactions in the workplace. There
are numerous reasons why a leader might want to share information about their activities and
decision making with members of the team. Firstly, knowing what the team leader is up to
allows for better synergy. Team members can be made aware of which time blocks are open
for meeting and which are blocked out for focused work - further, they can get an idea of the
leader's workload and leverage themselves into supporting positions or help handle
distractions. Regarding decision making, a leader might find that giving team members
insight into the process results in greater trust concerning the outcome. Individuals often seem
to have an innate desire (spoken or unspoken) to be involved and are often easier to work with
when they feel included (Salazar, 2017).
all information needs to be shared. Reina and Reina in Trust and Betrayal in the Workplace
chapter 3 talk about people feeling left down and disappointed. b This is true and organizations
should provide specific information on goals and changes. However, as I work in HR if we
shared every detail of information on process and changes many times it would cause
confusion. b An example would be implementing new nursing schedules according to business
needs. We share that our business needs are changing and that our nurse staff schedules will
need to be changed. b We had a meeting asking for input from the nursing staff on what would
benefit our patients and staff. However, if we shared the analysis process and how we came
up with the new schedules there would be mass confusion. Instead, we provide basic
explanations and leave our doors open to additional questions. We say we are wrong when
we are and let them know we will get an answer if we do not know. b My name is Vanessa, and
I am studying to receive my Masters in Human Resources. This is my second to last class! I
have my B.S. in Business Administration, with a concentration in Marketing. My educational
goal is to finish my graduate degree in Human Resources and figure out life. Sometimes I
wonder if I should have gotten my MBA, but I am close to the finish line, so here we go! I’ve
been a garden educator for eight years now. I’ve recently started my own business called
Sprouted Joy. Sprouted Joy is a vegetable/fruit/flower garden consulting business. I help
home gardeners, community gardens, and school gardens grow food. I feel like humans are
multifaceted in interests and abilities. This pathway has just easily opened up for me. I guess
my Master’s Degree is a safety net of sorts. Even so, I have thoroughly enjoyed HR subjects.
Employers might provide information about their activities and decision-making to
demonstrate transparency, even if it does not apply to the employee. Transparency by sharing
information is a trust-building behavior (Cardon, 2021, p. 9). Establishing trust through
regular transparent communication in an organization brings credibility to the organization
among stakeholders and customers. I support this notion because I also want to trust the
organization to which I give my time and skills to support. It also helps provide context to the
ever-changing environment in the workplace when there is frequent, transparent
communication. Ultimately, I want to trust the organization I work for, so I agree with this
behavior.
Transparency in communication is a fundamental aspect of effective leadership, and it plays a
crucial role in building a positive and productive work environment. When leaders are
transparent and share information about their activities and decision-making, even when
employees may not be directly affected, it can benefit the organization and its employees.
First and foremost, transparency fosters trust. Trust is the foundation of any successful
relationship, including the relationship between leaders and employees. When leaders are
transparent in their communication, employees perceive them as honest, credible, and
reliable. They feel that their leaders are being open and upfront with them, which builds trust
and strengthens the bond between leaders and employees. Trust is essential in the workplace
as it promotes psychological safety, encourages open communication, and enhances
collaboration and teamwork. Employee involvement ensures that, through a collaborative
decision-making process, the employees and the leadership team are responsible for the
organization’s overall success (Fontein, 2022).
Transparency also creates a culture of inclusivity. When leaders share information about their
activities and decision-making, even when employees may not be directly affected, it
promotes a sense of belonging among employees. It makes them feel that they are valued
members of the organization and that their input is respected and considered. When you let
employees help with decisions, it shows that you trust them. Even if you only let employees
give input to assist you in making the final decision, you still show that you value their
opinions (Kappel, 2018). This inclusivity encourages employees to participate in discussions,
share their ideas and perspectives, and contribute to the organization's success. Inclusive
organizations have higher employee engagement, job satisfaction, and retention rates.
Moreover, transparency enables employees to understand the goals and direction of the
organization. When leaders share information about their activities and decision-making,
employees gain insights into the organization's strategic objectives, challenges, and
opportunities. This understanding helps employees align their efforts with the overall strategy,
improving their productivity and effectiveness. Employees who are well-informed about the
organization's goals and direction are likelier to make informed decisions, take ownership of
their work, and contribute towards achieving the organization's objectives.
Transparency in communication also promotes adaptability and resilience in the face of
changes. In today's fast-paced business environment, organizations must be agile and
responsive to market, industry, or internal dynamics changes. When leaders are transparent
about their activities and decision-making, employees can anticipate and understand changes
better. It enables them to adapt their work plans, priorities and approaches accordingly.
Transparent communication also encourages open discussions and feedback, which can lead
to innovative ideas and solutions to address challenges and seize opportunities.
Furthermore, transparency helps prevent rumors, speculations, and misunderstandings in the
workplace. When leaders are not transparent, information gaps can arise, leading to
assumptions, misinformation, and employee confusion. This can create a toxic work
environment, breed distrust, and negatively impact employee morale and productivity.
However, when leaders are transparent and share information proactively, it minimizes the
likelihood of rumors or speculations. It ensures that employees have accurate and complete
information on to base their decisions and actions. I strongly support that leaders should
practice transparency in their communication by sharing information about their activities and
decision-making, even when employees may not be directly affected. Transparency fosters
trust, promotes inclusivity, enables employees to understand the organization's goals,
enhances adaptability, and prevents misunderstandings. It creates a positive work
environment where employees feel valued, engaged, and empowered, improving job
satisfaction, productivity, and overall organizational success.
transparency is a vital aspect of any department. Transparency in the
workplace/department/etc. cultivates an environment of trust and honesty between the
employees and supervisors. The upside for leaders to openly discuss information regarding
certain topics is that it creates an opportunity for other lower-level employees that maybe only
touch a part of the process/decision making model to fully grasp the situation. Also, it
encourages a learning type of environment that will hopefully let employees in a department
grow and advance in their career. From my own experience, asking the "why" in any given
situation in the workplace should not be curbed or frowned upon--leaders being transparent
and sharing information freely allows this sort of "why" interaction which is so important for
a company because the more their employees learn and become more knowledgeable about
the company, the more they will be able to be innovative and improve different aspects of said
company. As you can see, I do support this notion as I have had work experience with
different sides of the spectrum. Better transparency between leadership and lower-level
employees does wonders for productivity and goal achieving motivation. I am originally
from Chicago, Illinois and currently live in Nashville, Tennessee. I am married and we have 3
young adult children. I am an Army veteran and presently work as a human resource
professional with the federal judiciary. Fun Facts: My husband and I operate a business that
provides opportunities for rest and respite to those who work in ministry and for non-profit
organizations by providing vacation accommodations, event tickets, and dining gift cards.
Our love of travel allows us to use our travel agent expertise to encourage others to explore
this big, beautiful world. This is the final course in my MBA-HRM journey. I've learned so
much and I’ve had an incredible experience here at SNHU. Yipee!
Leaders may choose to communicate information to employees that do not have a need to
know to open clear lines of communication, reduce ambiguity, mitigate concern and
confusion, and build trust across the organization. A true or perceived lack of transparency
can negatively impact morale and organizational performance (Reina & Reina, 2015, pp. 45-
47).
I support the idea of sharing information with employees in this way because it provides
context to the employees surrounding decision-making, policies, practices and changes within
the organization. It also allows employees to gain a big picture perspective into the
organization’s operations, which builds trust and increases employee buy-in. Open
communication can also nurture collaboration and innovation across teams.
My experiences have shown that when gaps in communication exist, employees fill those
gaps with their own ideas and perspectives. These perspectives can spread widely across an
organization. When this information is false, it can be detrimental to the organization and
difficult for the leadership to correct. b
Reference
Dennis Reina PhD, & Michelle Reina PhD. (2015). Trust and Betrayal in the Workplace:
Building Effective Relationships in Your
Organization: Vol. Third edition, revised and updated. Berrett-Koehler Publishers.
Fontein, D. (2022, October 18). Accelerate Decision-Making by Involving Employees |
ThoughtExchange. ThoughtExchange. https://thoughtexchange.com/blog/employee-
involvement-decision-making/
Kappel, M. (2018, April 4). How To Encourage Employee Involvement in Decision Making.
Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/mikekappel/2018/04/04/how-to-encourage-employee-
involvement-in-decision-making/?sh=12a592de6561
Cardon, P. W. (2021). Business communication: Developing leaders for a networked world
(4th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Education.
