Is Transparency a Spectre? 👻 This is how you
take away the Worries
and Fears of your Employees

Digitalization makes your Processes more transparent

When Harvey Specter strolls down the corridor in the morning with a coffee-to-go in one hand and a bagel in the other, he always has an instant view of which of his colleagues is sitting at their desk. The New York law firm in the lawyer series “Suits” shows how it’s done: modern offices are made of glass these days. Lots of glass. As a result, workplaces are brighter and appear more open and spacious - but at the same time they are visible to everyone. Visible boundaries through walls or closed doors are disappearing more and more.

Not only workplaces, but also processes are becoming more transparent as digitalization progresses. For example, the activities of each individual employee are recorded and documented down to the minute - often in an ERP system. In terms of the efficiency of your employees and teams, this offers potential and can benefit your company’s success. However, a high level of transparency leads to resistance among some employees. They fear being “monitored”. For them, digital transparency is more of a “spectre”, hovering over the workplace.

What does Transparency actually stand for?

Companies that focus on transparency would say: “We want all employees to know at all times what is going on in the company and how projects, finances and colleagues are doing.”

ERP systems such as Dynamics 365 Business Central for example, allow you to keep track of things using tabular reports.

You can also ensure transparency with the help of digital communication platforms such as the intranet or employee apps. Employees can use these to provide direct and unfiltered feedback and stay up-to-date on changes - even when they are on the move.

But be careful: there is also data that must not be transparent. The health of employees, for example, remains private. The date of birth, for example, is also subject to data protection.

Increasing Productivity and Business Success: Transparent Processes offer this Potential

1. Your Employees are more productive

   Making your processes transparent increases the intrinsic motivation of your employees. This is because they are involved in decisions and understand the holistic goals you are pursuing.

   And you can amplify the benefits of transparency by offering rewards and incentives for higher productivity and exceptional performance. Well-structured incentive programs motivate your employees and encourage them to improve their performance even further.

2. Your Teams work together more efficiently

   Transparent access to all data improves the internal flow of information, meaning that your employees have less need to coordinate and can find the information they need themselves from the system. This also leads to less susceptibility to errors at interfaces.

   Your employees can see how the individual teams work together - step by step. This gives you the opportunity to build higher-performing teams and learn more about the strengths and weaknesses of individual employees and distribute tasks accordingly. This leads to more homogeneous teams that can deliver higher quality results faster.

3. You place Emphasis on Fairness

   Since all processes are transparent, all employees are automatically treated equally - and everyone can see that. This in turn ensures flat hierarchies and prevents not only misunderstandings, but also envy and resentment among employees.

4. You attract Top Talent

   The transparency of your processes can even become an employer branding tool: you can use it to position yourself as a particularly attractive employer. This can be empirically proven: in the “Future of Work 2018” study, for example, a full 87% of respondents said they hoped their next job would be transparent. Another study, which surveyed more than 40,000 employees, found the following: transparency is actually the most important factor in their overall satisfaction.

5. Increased Internal Security

   Finally, a high level of transparency can help to ensure that your employees’ data is better protected. With a monitoring tool, companies can detect threats that their employees would not even be aware of and be alerted if unauthorized persons access data or information.

The Transparency Paradox

Transparency therefore offers some advantages for your company as well as for your employees. Despite everything, however, there are employees who are sceptical about transparency through digitalization. Why is that?

The Magic Word is Communication: avoid Misunderstandings, Fear and Resistance

Whether the transparent processes in the company work depends to a large extent on the attitude of the employees. Only when everyone pulls together and is convinced of the transparent processes in the company can a holistic integration of digital solutions succeed. These changes always require a rethink - especially among your employees. It is therefore all the more important that you shape the changes in the company together with your team:

• Exploit potential through individual added value

  You must allay the scepticism of worried employees and take targeted measures to ensure that transparency through digitalization is not perceived as a threat. To do this, demonstrate the concrete added value of the new technologies for your employees and for the company. And above all, emphasize the extent to which your employees can also better develop their individual potential as a result.

• Create trust through empathic interaction

  Foster a culture of trust throughout the organization and respond empathically to potential concerns. Make sure to keep your team up to date on new developments.

• Avoid excessive demands with target group-specific communication

  Align communication according to the target group. “Too much of a good thing” is off-putting and can lead to your employees feeling overwhelmed. You should therefore consider in advance: which information is relevant for which target group? This could be location-specific information, for example, if an individual location is due to be renovated.

• Enable permanent feedback to involve employees

  However, communication is not a one-way street: encourage your employees to give honest feedback on an ongoing basis.

• Implement the change step by step so that employees internalize it

  And very important: Give your employees enough time to get used to the change! When you establish change, it is always a long-term process.

Transparency and Trust: ensure the Right Dose

Transparency does never mean total surveillance! It is crucial that you respect and protect the privacy of your employees. Convince them that they also benefit from transparency. In our example, Louis permanently monitoring and controlling the young lawyers’ work steps and thus scaring them won’t help anyone. Their work results are much more likely to suffer as a result.

As with everything in life, it’s all about the right dose. Then transparent processes become an efficiency driver and the “spectre” disappears into thin air.