Transparency

This short book very briefly reviews the assets of transparency—for the authors, this is already a moot question. It is no longer a matter of asking whether or not companies should move toward greater transparency, but how to do so.

In fact, the authors take a very pragmatic approach and attempt to identify the best practices to transition toward a culture of transparency. Without being naïve, they point to the difficulties created by such a culture change. However, the numerous examples that they have collected provide readers with many concrete ideas for action.

Unsurprisingly, the role of the chain of command—especially the exemplarity of senior leaders—appears to be paramount to point people in the right direction. This is a daily obligation, right down to the most trivial words and deeds. Indeed, the least discrepancy between the stated desire for transparency and managerial practices may prove to be disastrous. Such discrepancies often turn into a source of cynicism, distrust, and thus disengagement for employees.

On the other hand, companies that manage to communicate openly, both internally and with their customers, about their processes, decisions made, and even their mistakes, give themselves a chance to learn rapidly and build lasting success.

Succinct and illustrated with interesting examples, this book is well-suited to perplexed leaders faced with high expectations with respect to transparency.