Transparent Communication for Managers

Transparent communication is about establishing an open and honest exchange of information with your team about organizational aims, decisions and changes. It emerged as a concept in the early 2000s, when trust in corporations was extremely low following a number of high-profile scandals.

Good transparent communication with your team improves trust, confidence, morale, performance, and retention.

This article will explain exactly what transparent communication is, the benefits it can bring and the pitfalls to avoid.

What Is Transparent Communication?

Transparent communication is defined as “[providing] sufficient and reliable information to employees in a timely manner, [removing] obstacles to internal information flow, being authentic and accountable in communicating organizational or job-related issues, and listening to employee opinions and criticism.” [1]

It’s about creating an open and honest culture of communication about organizational goals, changes and decisions, which makes relevant information accessible and delivers it in a timely manner. An important part of this culture is that it also encourages feedback, giving employees a voice in the decision-making process, and ensuring they feel heard and valued.

In the simplest terms, transparent communication is letting people know what’s happening in the organization, explaining how it affects them, and asking for their input.

How Does Transparent Communication Relate to Effective Communication?

You may have heard of The 7 Cs of Communication. This model states that effective communication should be:

• Clear
• Concise
• Concrete
• Correct
• Coherent
• Complete
• Courteous

It’s important to share appropriate, timely information in a clear and consistent way, to listen actively to feedback and respond empathically. This is a sound basis for effective communication in general.

But there is more to transparent communication. To create that culture you'll also need to consider:

• Openness. Share the thinking behind decisions and changes, not just the basic details.
• Inclusiveness. Actively encourage participation and input into decision-making.
• Substantial information. Provide comprehensive, relevant and detailed information.
• Accountability. Clearly communicate roles, responsibilities and expectations. Hold yourselves accountable for choices and actions.
• Visibility. Make appropriate documents like meeting notes, performance metrics and strategic plans easily accessible to everyone.
• Two-way communication. Foster an approachable, open-door policy where team members feel comfortable voicing their opinions and concerns.
• Transparency in challenges. Share both successes and challenges, openly discussing difficulties and how they are being addressed.
• Continuous improvement. Regularly review and refine communication practices as needed.

The Benefits of Transparent Communication

Imagine a situation where an employee has been given a high-profile project with clear instructions about how to carry it out. But when something unexpected arises, they don’t know how to adapt. They’re not sure what choices to make because they don’t have a clear understanding of the purpose and aim of the job they’re doing. They're reticent to ask for guidance in case it makes them look incompetent.

Consider another scenario. Imagine that rumors are circulating publicly that your organization is on the brink of a major change in direction. Nothing official is communicated to employees, who start to worry about what the change will mean for them. Your team members become distracted, with some starting to look for new roles as they fear for their job security.

These are situations where transparent communication is needed.

Employees working in a transparent communication environment of mutual respect have greater trust in their organization and a more positive view of its reputation.

Because they have a better understanding of their own roles, employees are more confident and secure. They're able to work in a more self-directed way and make good strategic choices, including when dealing with the public, where they better represent the organization.

Performance, productivity and collaboration all improve as employees demonstrate greater engagement and dedication to their work. This all leads to improved job satisfaction, organizational commitment and employee retention.

In short, transparent communication leads to happy, confident, engaged employees who raise their performance, stay longer in their jobs and act as positive representatives for the organization. [2] [3] [4] [5]

The Three Pillars of Transparent Communication

Let's take a deeper dive into the topic. There are three core elements that support transparent communication: Participation; Substantial Information and Accountability. Together, these three pillars will create a healthy, productive culture of transparent communication.

Participation

This involves engaging employees in decision-making processes, encouraging them to voice their opinions, and actively involving them in discussions that affect their work and the organization.

You can do this by:

• Providing detailed information to your team.
• Asking for opinions from your team members before making decisions.
• Actively seeking and listening to feedback from your team.
• Learning more about your team to understand what they need.
• Making information easily accessible to your team.
• Using feedback to improve communication.

How to Encourage Participation

• Schedule regular meetings where team members can share their ideas and feedback.
• Create opportunities for open forums where team members can ask questions and express concerns.
• Implement a suggestion box (physical or digital) to collect anonymous input from your team.

Substantial Information

This refers to the sharing of comprehensive, relevant and accurate information with employees. It means providing clear and detailed information about organizational goals, policies, changes and other pertinent topics.

Ways to do this include:

• Sharing complete and relevant information.
• Making information clear and easy to understand.
• Giving information in a timely manner.
• Ensuring information is reliable and verifiable.

How to Provide Substantial Information

• Deliver comprehensive updates on company performance, changes and decisions to your team. Do this as soon as you are able and permitted to share this information.
• Ensure that briefings and reports are clear, detailed and relevant to employees.
• Maintain and signpost easily accessible documents and resources related to policies, procedures, and company goals.

Accountability

This entails holding both yourself and employees responsible for actions and decisions. It includes:

• Establishing clear expectations.
• Monitoring performance.
• Being forthcoming with difficult information.
• Admitting mistakes and being receptive to criticism.

How to Demonstrate Accountability

• Set and communicate clear expectations and responsibilities for both yourself and your team.
• Offer regular and constructive feedback, recognizing good performance and addressing areas for improvement.
• Share progress reports and performance metrics openly, showing how individual and team efforts contribute to organizational goals.

What Not to Share

Part of getting transparent communication right is knowing what information to share and what to keep private. For example, as a manager, you may be party to sensitive information from senior leadership which would be unwise or unfair to share with your team at present, or perhaps at all. And you also have legal and professional obligations regarding confidentiality in the workplace.

Here are a few examples of information you have to be careful about sharing:

• Confidential employee information. Sharing personal data, health information, performance appraisals and disciplinary actions could violate privacy laws and damage trust within your team.
• Legal matters and investigations. Information about ongoing litigation, internal investigations or compliance issues could compromise an investigation or jeopardize the outcome..
• Sensitive organizational changes. Prematurely sharing information about potential layoffs, leadership changes or major shifts in company policy can cause concern and speculation among employees.

How to Assess your Transparent Communication Skills

Once you’ve developed a culture of transparent communication in your team, it’s important to assess how effective it has been. Here are some suggestions for ways to gauge the impact.

Conduct an Anonymous Survey

Ask your team questions such as:

• Is the information you receive from me clear and complete? If not, what else would you like to see?
• To what extent do you feel involved in decision-making processes within and beyond the team?
• How confident and clear are you about your goals and what is expected of you?
• Would you feel comfortable to raise a problem in the team or the wider organization? If not, why not?

You could also hold one-on-one feedback sessions to specifically discuss your communication culture.

Observe What's Working

Notice how team members communicate and interact with you and one another.

Ask yourself questions like:

• Are team meetings more interactive? Does everyone contribute?
• Is there an increase in feedback and suggestions from the team?
• Are team members more confident in making decisions and working independently?

Gather Data

Analyze team performance metrics from before and after your efforts to create greater transparency. These metrics will vary depending on your situation and what your team and organization measure, but look for factors like:

• Productivity levels.
• Employee turnover rates.
• Customer satisfaction scores.

Use digital tools like Microsoft Teams or Slack to set up a dedicated channel for feedback on communication practices.

Creating a transparent communication culture in your team comes with a swathe of benefits that make the effort worthwhile. Get it right, and you’ll find yourself with a happy, dedicated and high-performing team.

Let’s Check

Test your transparent communication skills with this quick exercise.

Scenario

Imagine you’ve attended a management meeting. Here are three pieces of information you’ve discussed:

1. The company is considering a merger, but no final decisions have been made.
2. Your team’s project budget will increase by 15 percent.
3. A colleague in another department has been disciplined for misconduct.

Task

Categorize each item using these criteria. Click on the arrow to see the definition for each.

Relevant, actionable, and timely.

Relevant but incomplete or sensitive.

Irrelevant or confidential.

Here are some examples of good answers.

Share Later

Mention the merger only when there are concrete developments.

Share Now

Announce the 15 percent budget increase and explain how it will impact the team’s projects.

Don’t Share

Keep the disciplinary matter confidential to respect privacy.

Reflection

Discuss your reasoning with a peer or mentor to explore alternative perspectives.

Let’s Act

Think about a piece of company information you need to share with your team. Use the principles of transparent communication to get your message across in an appropriate and effective way.

Ask yourself:

• How can I ensure the exchange is open and honest between myself and my team members?
• Is the message clear, truthful and accurately reflects our organization’s goals and decisions?
• Will my intended approach ensure the message is timely and accessible?
• How will I gather and respond to feedback once the message is delivered?

If you don’t have a company message to share soon, you could reflect on a past message, and the extent to which it followed the principles of transparent communication. Look for ways to improve your approach in future.