Glass house living - switch on the lights and clear the grounds of stones

In an age where practically any information can be accessed by anyone with access to the Internet, transparency takes on a new role and meaning entirely. What is the need for transparency? Thus far, we have discussed the negative fallout of not implementing transparency as a best practice.

But there are definite positive benefits that accrue from transparent functioning too. While the debate on "how much is enough?" will still continue, that is a call that the management of each organisation has to take depending on the industry and organizational ethos. The boundary-line between transparency and preserving confidentiality is definitely something that needs to be established by every individual organisation, for itself.

>Before we get into the hows of harnessing the transparency wave, it is pertinent to discuss the whys in specific terms. While some solid reasons have been listed here, I would like to summarise some of them.

One of the first benefits is feedback. While it is true that feedback is one of the most crucial tools in the development process for any product or service, it is equally true that people will give better feedback when they feel that their feedback is actually being acted upon, and if not, the reasons why it is not feasible at the moment. The "MS Build Blog"? is a case in point where you can access someone who actually works on the team.

Strong customer evangelism is the second. You empower your satisfied customers with more information and they are at least ten times as likely to talk to other potential customers about them and what is more important, come across as an informed authority on the subject, which counts for a lot while making a decision to buy. Word of mouth still rules the roost in terms of effective communication, no matter what the medium.

Transparency = moral businesses. It's a cyclical process. You are transparent because you want people to know how excellent your products, processes, people etc. are. Conversely, because you are transparent, you are all the more conscious of the company's behaviour and are likely to make more "moral"? decisions which will ultimately benefit your organisation by generating goodwill and reputation. They both eventually feed each other.

As to the hows of harnessing this huge potential, the most practical and easy way to do it is via the Internet. Coming back to word of mouth - the power of word of mouth has been transferred to the Internet and exponentially increased in terms of targeted outreach via blogs. This is probably the most powerful tool for CEOs and other top management officials to share their thoughts and plans for the organisation.

The message is blinking on your screen. In order to navigate business in the Google age, you have to be technologically equipped. It is the only way to face the challenges and grasp the opportunities that the age of transparency is the harbinger of.