Chapter 3. THE NEW TRANSPARENCY

Warren Bennis

The definition of transparent is simple enough. It means, in addition to the literal "capable of being seen through," "without guile or concealment; open; frank; candid." But in the last few years, transparency has acquired new implications. As a headline writer for Fast Company joked, "Transparency: It's Not Just for Shrink Wrap Anymore." Once largely reserved for international trade negotiations, it has surged in popularity. Now it seems that no American president, CEO, mayor, school official, or police chief can make a public pronouncement without using the word, usually with the implicit promise that his or her statement is true and motives pure. As a culture, we obviously long for our public institutions, ...

Get Transparency: How Leaders Create a Culture of Candor now with the O’Reilly learning platform.

O’Reilly members experience books, live events, courses curated by job role, and more from O’Reilly and nearly 200 top publishers.