This document discusses transparency in organizations. It begins by explaining why transparency is important due to declining trust and the evolution of social media. It then defines transparency as the degree to which an organization shares information with stakeholders regarding leaders, employees, values, culture, results, and strategy. Key elements for a transparent organization include a culture of openness, processes that encourage transparency at all levels, and well-trained employees. The document also lists "ten truths of transparency" and discusses establishing whistleblower programs and the importance of integrity for transparency.

1. TRANSPARENCY

2. Why transparency?
 Declining Trust
A wide chasm between customer and employee
 The Evolution of Social Media
Freedom of the press is guaranteed only to those who own one.

3. What is transparency?
The degree to which an organization shares with its stakeholders –
 Leaders accessible and straightforward with members of key audiences.
 Employees accessible to reinforce public view of company and to help people
 Values ethical behavior, fair treatment
 Culture how things are done is more important today than what it does.
 Results communication of successes, failures, problems,
 Strategy key basis for investment decisions (stakeholders).

4. Key elements for a transparent organization
1. A culture dedicated to openness and a commitment to transparency
2. Programs and processes that encourage and ensure openness at every level
(reward transparency, quick and decisive punishment for opacity, and fraud)
3. Well-trained workforce at all levels who act with wisdom, integrity, confidence,
and security to do and say what is right - when the organization or individuals are
not doing things that should be done
4. Established means of proactive communication to the organization’s important
stakeholders

5. The ten truths of transparency
1. What’s done in private is eventually public.
2. What’s acceptable today probably won’t be tomorrow.
3. If it looks bad today, tomorrow it’ll look worse.
4. Today’s penalties will be worse tomorrow.
5. Each denial generates more pressure to disclose.
6. With each denial, enemies and detractors multiply.
7. With each denial, more friends desert you.
8. The more denials, the more severe the punishment.
9. Covering up is more damaging than the original act.
10. Nothing is forgotten, and seldom forgiven.

6. Establishing whistleblower programs
Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 mandates that policies be institutionalized for
protection of whistleblowers
• A clear policy of protection for those reporting fraud or cover-ups
• A clearly defined channel for reporting, preferably through multiple internal and
external channels, without requiring notice to the person’s manager
• Written guidelines on how reports will be investigated and what actions will be
taken if wrongdoing is uncovered
• A written statement that every effort will be made to keep concerns confidential

7. Who Would You Follow into Battle?
Five characteristics of successful
leadership Five common faults of leadership
 Intelligence  Recklessness
 Trustworthiness  Excessive caution
 Humaneness  Easily angered nature
 Courage  Oversensitivity
 Sternness  Proneness to anxiety

8. Transparency’s final frontier: Integrity
As Price Waterhouse Coopers notes in its report, Transparency in Global Reporting,
“Rules, regulations, laws, concepts, structures, processes, best practices, and the
most progressive use of technology cannot ensure transparency and
accountability. This can only come about when individuals of integrity are trying
to ‘do the right thing,’ not what is expedient or even necessarily what is
permissible. What matters in the end are the actions of people, not simply their
words.”
In terms of transparency, that says it all!

9. References
Tactical Transparency By Shel Holtz and John C. Havens (2009) Jossey-Bass
What is Transparency? By Richard W Oliver(2004) McGraw Hill
Data Protection Act
Freedom of Information Act
Sarbanes Oxley Act