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The Executive Presence Blog:

5 Reasons You Should Be Transparent at Work

Why Coming Clean Will Help You Advance & Lack of Transparency Will Hurt You

2. Leverage the Transparency

Transparency -- especially since it involves social media, mainstream media, NGOs, and investors -- is an ideal tool for reaching beyond the organization to solicit input from constituencies. For example, executives in the besieged apparel industry can explain to consumers how their efforts at improving work conditions for low-wage workers will raise prices by X amount -- bringing consumers into the decision-making process and educating them on the why behind higher prices. A study by University of Missouri researchers Gargi Bhaduri and Jung Ha-Brookshire found that consumers would pay 15 to 20 percent more for sustainable manufacturing practices. 

Releasing internal information in this way and opening strategic planning to discussion can prevent global public relations disasters which Apple experienced about its supply chain. In response, it released the list of all its 150 suppliers. The media and public could then see only a few of them were the -- no pun intended -- bad apples. In short, transparency provides fresh approaches for influence.

 

  • Harrison Monarth

    New York Times bestselling business author Harrison Monarth is founder of GuruMaker, a global communications consulting firm that coaches Fortune 500 executives, politicians, and other high-level professionals in crafting and presenting … Read more...