Role of Transparency in Engagement

[Lee White]

It seems to me that transparency in all dimensions (top-down, bottom-up, side-to-side) is a critical aspect of engagement. When people believe that they are getting the whole picture, they will develop trust, which is key to engagement.

My question:

1) Is there a valid line where some information needs to remain opaque, and (assuming there is) how/who/where is that line drawn?

[Nick McCormick]

Lee,
I agree. The more transparent, the better. It's difficult to draw a line, but if a line did exist, most organizations I've witnessed are miles from it - i.e. they share so very little. I wouldn't get hung up on worrying about a line. If it's questionable, ask your manager if it can be shared. If the answer is no, find a way that it can. For instance, the owners of a private company may not want to share the exact revenue and profit numbers with every employee, but they are probably fine with telling them that profits rose 12% over last year, and targets were met. That's not completely transparent, but it does give the employees valuable information.