Transparency matters
Last week we talked about how feedback may be painful but is critical for equity and inclusion. To follow up on that conversation, it also feels important to say that transparency matters.
I often like to say that the only thing worse than not gathering feedback is gathering feedback and then not sharing the results.
Seriously. The distrust and loss of morale that can be caused by this is not to be underestimated.
And I can’t tell you the number of times we hear from staff that this has happened when we start working with organizations.
Listen, we get it, data analysis can take some time, and figuring out how to present the results can be loaded. Leadership can get very defensive and it can become a landmine of workplace power and politics.
A lot of time, it brings up paternalistic reactions too - leadership think they know better than staff what is best for them, and doesn’t trust them to form their own opinion or analysis.
That’s one of the reasons I think it’s so frustrating to experience. It can feel infantalizing not to be trusted with the truth, which after all, is “just” data.
And some staff will go right to the assumption that there is something terrible in the data and that is why it’s not being shared.
It’s one of the reason online interactive platforms for gathering and sharing data in realtime can be so powerful - the transparency is built-in and immediate.
Transparency is important not just in sharing the feedback and data that has been gathered, but also in sharing what is being done with it.
How is the feedback being used? What is the process for a response? How will it be taken into consideration in decision making?
If possible, these things should be considered and process that is planned should be shared in advance.
Outside of feedback and data collection, transparency is also important at every step of any process.
Equity without inclusion is still oppression.
Sharing decisions but also the thinking behind them is a critical element to building trust in authentic and collaborative relationships, especially when we align more with power and privilege. It’s part of helping to give people the information they need to do their best work.
I’ve never been a fan of “showing my work.” As a big picture thinker and quickstart, I’m often many steps ahead - I can see the vision so clearly and I’m already there, I don’t want to have to stop and explain it. However, this is not an inclusive stance - it doesn’t allow other people into the process. I’ve learned I can benefit so much from slowing down, retracing my steps, and reflecting on and documenting my thought process to share with collaborators. On the CCI team, we’re still figuring out the best way to create “decision making journals” so that we can a) remember and b) learn from and build on how we make decisions.
When we are experiencing an abusive environment, it’s a little different - we don’t owe anyone explanations or justifications, especially if they may be weaponized against us. “No” is a complete sentence.
But when we are more aligned with power, we don’t want to default to that age old parental stand-by of “because I say so.”
Yes, context matters. As with any tool, there is nuance and you need to bring a power analysis. Transparency also requires consent if you’re sharing information that is not entirely yours to share.
However, lack of transparency in the form of power hoarding, paternalism, entitlement, right to comfort and many other characteristics of white supremacy culture is so prevalent that integrating a thoughtful consideration of transparency into everything you do is bound to be fruitful.
Banner photo by Tim Mossholder on Unsplash
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