Transparency: How Leaders Create a Culture of Candor

by Warren Bennis, Daniel Goleman, James O'Toole

In Transparency , the authors–a powerhouse trio in the field of leadership–look at what conspires against "a culture of candor" in organizations to create disastrous results, and suggest ways that leaders can achieve healthy and honest openness. They explore the lightning-rod concept of "transparency"–which has fast become the buzzword not only in business and corporate settings but in government and the social sector as well. Together Bennis, Goleman, and O'Toole explore why the containment of truth is the dearest held value of far too many organizations and suggest practical ways that organizations, their leaders, their members, and their boards can achieve openness. After years of dedicating themselves to research and theory, at first separately, and now jointly, these three leadership giants reveal the multifaceted importance of candor and show what promotes transparency and what hinders it. They describe how leaders often stymie the flow of information and the structural impediments that keep information from getting where it needs to go. This vital resource is written for any organization–business, government, and nonprofit–that must achieve a culture of candor, truth, and transparency.

Genres: Leadership, Business, Nonfiction, Audiobook, Communication

130 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2008

About the author

Warren Gamaliel Bennis is an American scholar, organizational consultant and author, widely regarded as a pioneer of the contemporary field of Leadership Studies. Bennis is University Professor and Distinguished Professor of Business Administration and Founding Chairman of The Leadership Institute at the University of Southern California.

“His work at MIT in the 1960s on group behavior foreshadowed -- and helped bring about -- today's headlong plunge into less hierarchical, more democratic and adaptive institutions, private and public,” management expert Tom Peters wrote in 1993 in the foreword to Bennis’ An Invented Life: Reflections on Leadership and Change.

Management expert James O’Toole, in a 2005 issue of Compass, published by Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government, claimed that Bennis developed “an interest in a then-nonexistent field that he would ultimately make his own -- leadership -- with the publication of his ‘Revisionist Theory of Leadership’ in Harvard Business Review in 1961.” O’Toole observed that Bennis challenged the prevailing wisdom by showing that humanistic, democratic-style leaders better suited to dealing with the complexity and change that characterize the leadership environment.

Reviews

[Jon Nakapalau · Rating 5 out of 5]

Transparency is a term that gets thrown around a lot, but it is often used as a critique as opposed to a goal. This book does a wonderful job of applying the concept along a thread that runs through many organizations and management theories - good book for a recent college grad getting ready to enter the workforce.

[C · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great book that emphasizes why honesty is the best policy. My husband is a corporate engineering consultant who has to constantly give bad news, but due to his integrity, he is always respected for it. This book reconfirmed some truths about business that I've learned from him, and also gives whistleblowers the green light.

[Eugene Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent book - I highly recommend this to anyone in a leadership position trying to leverage transparency into their leadership style and create a culture of candor, or for anyone trying to influence their leadership to do the same.

[Theresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good life advice, in addition to business and leadership skills. Transparency has been foisted upon us all, due to the internet, in both positive and negative ways. One of my favorite points went something like “Some of those at the top don’t know as much as they think they do.” So true!

[Robert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Transparency: How Leaders Create a Culture of Candor
Warren Bennis, Daniel Goleman, and James O'Toole
Jossey-Bass

The co-authors are three of the most influential business thinkers in recent years and, with Patricia Ward Biederman, collaborated on this book that consists of three separate but related essays: "Creating a Culture of Candor" (Bennis, Goleman, and Biederman examine transparency within and in relationships between organizations), "Speaking Truth to Power" (O'Toole shares his perspectives on transparency in terms of personal responsibility to do what is ethical), and "The New Transparency" (Bennis explains how digital technology is making the entire world transparent). According to Thomas Friedman, the world has become flat as a result of forces that "are empowering more and more individuals today to reach farther, faster, deeper, and cheaper than ever before, and that is equalizing power - and equalizing opportunity, by giving so many more people the tools to connect, compete, and collaborate." Bennis, Goleman, O'Toole and Biederman agree. The first essay suggests how the same "flattening forces" to which Friedman refers also have a profound impact on relationships between and among organizations throughout the world. In the second essay, O'Toole eloquently as well as convincingly stresses the importance of responsibility and (yes) accountability of everyone who is involved in those relationships. Then in the third essay, Bennis shares his insights concerning the most significant consequences of technology, given the fact that "leaders are losing their monopoly on power, and this has positive impacts - notably the democratization of power - as well as some negative ones."

I highly recommend this book to those in a senior-level position as well as to others whose ambition is to ascend to that level. I urge them to do everything they can to help establish and then sustain a “culture of candor.” If they are not allowed to “speak to power” despite their best efforts, they should seek another culture in which they can. Meanwhile, I suggest they keep in mind that Dante reserved the last (and worst) ring in hell for those who, in a moral crisis, preserved their neutrality.

[Marlena · Rating 5 out of 5]

Audiobook on iTunes.
Excellent.
Supports what we learn in class.
Bennis and Goleman = like and support view of leadership

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really thorough look at transparency and ethics in organizations. From a business and social perspective.

[Terri Griffith · Rating 5 out of 5]

I assign Bennis' essay for my MBA courses. Leaders in all organizations should read this book to see the value that can come from great transparency and knowledge in organizations.

[E · Rating 5 out of 5]

Insightful collection of essays about business transparency

At 144 pages, you could finish this slim volume in an evening. Its three, smoothly written essays combine to make an engaging book. Authors Warren Bennis, Daniel Goleman and James O’Toole, writing with Patricia Ward Biederman, blend references to well-known events with useful new accounts of transparency and opacity, and their outcomes. The writers focus primarily on concept and character, but they also offer specific suggestions for action. The essays fall between diagnosing what’s wrong with many organizations, and providing a manifesto on how to fix the problems by using transparency. The book is a clarion call for ethical action and openness. That alone is pretty common; who would openly call for dishonesty and secrecy? However, three things make this collection vital: the personal experience of the authors (especially O’Toole), the synthesis of history and current events, and the clarity of its ethical vision. getAbstract recommends this book to all readers who are interested in business ethics, and to leaders who want to know how to make their organizations more transparent.

[Donna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent short book (120 pages) about the necessity of transparency in today's world.

Transparency is almost forced on us today with the digital age - camera phones everywhere, the blogosphere, email. The most successful companies understand and use transparency as a competitive advantage.

Keys to transparency in leadership today are: followers who are willing to speak honestly , and leaders who are willing to listen to unsettling information.

Highly recommended."

[Mark Terry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good! The essays collected here point out that transparency is really no longer optional. With the advent of social media and the blogosphere, leaks of "secrets" are bound to occur. To build trust, leaders have to develop a culture that treats people and situations honestly - welcoming truth from all quarters and encouraging speaking truth to power. More about the need for transparency than how to go about fostering it, but well worth the time. Another winner from Warren Bennis.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

This collection of 3 essays on transparency is a quick and good read. It's especially pertinent for all those in management who have the opportunity in various ways to create a "transparent" culture. I came away convinced that more candor and transparency in business and government is better, but the leaders must "make it so" in wise and humble ways. I especially enjoyed the middle essay by James O'Toole with his philosophical analysis of transparency.

[May · Rating 4 out of 5]

A must read for both employees and managers. As far as I am concerned, you cannot have accountability within your organization unless you have transparency. Authors hit on a number of key features that I wish all organizations would pay more attention to--gaining and maintaining consumer and staff trust, open 2-way communication, ethical responsibilities, and moral convictions.

[Syafiq Basri Assegaff · Rating 4 out of 5]

Many issues and problems in this world caused by secrecy. By lies. Transparency clearly describes the powerful imperative for honest communication in this boundless world. A vital new book by reputable experts.

[Samantha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite good!

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

The idea of transparency might be more than one expects. Bennis, Goleman and O'Toole provide what it means to operate with candor and transparency in today's ever connected world.

[Melsene G · Rating 2 out of 5]

This short book is a compilation of 3 essays: Creating a Culture of Candor; Speaking Truth to Power; and The New Transparency. It's not easy creating a culture of candor as you might imagine.

Essay 1 goes on and on bashing politicians whom the authors seems to hate, e.g., President George W. Bush. Whether you're a fan or not, the hateful rhetoric was a bad example of how to create candor. Stick with business folks because everyone will have an issue with a politician left or right.

Essay 2 goes after more right of center politicians including Donald Rumsfeld and again W. Leaders must provide equal access to information to all, refrain from punishing those who call out the leaders, refrain from rewarding spurious loyalty and empower and reward principled contrarians. Be a listener.

Essay 3 thankfully stays away from politics for the most part. Bennis talks about the Internet, the pros and cons, bloggers, and how tech has changed the world. We're all living through this and will continue to do so. Businesses will do well to be open, frank,and candid. The info on the Opacity Index was interesting.

In sum, leaders of today and tomorrow would do well to be open, honest, candid and trustworthy. The collaborative leader is preferable to the top down managers of the past. Quick read, but I'm done with Bennis for now. A bit of a disappointment for me.

[Adriyana Grotseva · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book consists of 3 articles: Creating a culture of candor, Speaking truth to power, and The new transparency. I think it is targeted more to higher management or people on the path to it, providing examples of why transparency matters and the need to eradicate toxic management. It didn’t provide me any new information hence I would give it 2,5 stars. But some of the topics discussed are:

Democratization of power due to technology, its potential and downsides. There were US political examples and some from NASA.
The truth that makes people free is the truth that they prefer not to hear. And how it is hard or close to impossible to deliver bad or negative news to executives because of their status of God and fear of retribution.
We have moral obligation to speak truth to power and not let anger get the best of us and see how we can constructively make a change or find somebody in power, who would listen. And how nowadays there are anonymous options for whistleblowers to speak the truth.

[Johnny · Rating 3 out of 5]

The concepts are great in this book. Unfortunately all the digital examples (mostly around blogging) are so out of date given the rate of technological change, combined with political examples (also fast changing across the world and in the US), make the reading very difficult.

The book is segmented into 3 long essays. I recommend the middle one and skipping the others.

[Alan · Rating 4 out of 5]

JAMES O'TOOLE's chapter was good.

There is a slightly different version of his chapter online as an article at https://www.scu.edu/ethics/focus-area...

The chapter in the book is longer with more quotes and is a better read, but the article gives a good idea of what the book covers.

[Genifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

A collection of three essays, the first essay is the only one that has aged particularly well. The theory and idea of transparency continue to be compelling. That said, the second and third essays, read from nearly 20 years in the future, have less strength given what we've learned about social media, the reliability of journalism, and the general online world since it was published.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short book on the buzzword of business leadership today. The digital age has forced businesses to adopt transparency or pay the price. Definitely some good information contained within but a lot of common sense and "do the right thing".

[In the Library · Rating 2 out of 5]

This short book is made up of 3 essays. The first 2 are political examples and the last one discusses technology. The whole book feels awfully outdated and I didn't find it particularly insightful anyway.

[Matthew · Rating 2 out of 5]

Dated and too few practical insights.

[Jim King · Rating 4 out of 5]

Honest, up front and all needed information. Shared information in empowering not power

[Kathleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great subject matter. Altough I agree with the authors, their personal biases/political positions come through a bit too loud.

[Erin · Rating 2 out of 5]

A rather dated book with a few words of wisdom. However, it was eye-opening.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

good quick read. Not what I expected as it is 3 essays. it has a good points about transparency and the internet etc. Useful advice and considerations.

[Charmin · Rating 4 out of 5]

HIGHLIGHTS:
1. Candor and transparency become widespread only when leaders make it clear that openness is valued and will be rewarded. Openness happens only when leaders insist on it.

2. Whistleblowers: The person who exposes wrongdoing suffers, usually by being shunned, demoted, fired, or otherwise punished. A whistle blower's courage to speak out is from their deep commitment to the core values of the organization.

3. Media: No leader can afford to ignore such a force. Even when damaging information is first revealed by the traditional media, the publics' emotional response seems to be heightened somewhere in the blogosphere.
— Google is a reputation management system.

4. Anytime an organization makes is a seriously wrong decision, its leaders should call for an intensive postmortem. Such learning opportunities are too often overlooked. Because most companies cover up their mistakes instead of learning from them, systemic flaws in information flow tend to remain to do their damage another day.

5. Greater collegiality lubricates the process of information sharing. Those in power must be aware that whatever they hear from their direct reports has probably been heavily edited if only to make the message more palatable and to make the Messenger appear more valuable.

6. Is it safe to bring bad news to the top?
Leaders may show that speaking up is not just safe but mandatory and that no information of substance is out of bounds...Failing to hear critical information, whoever delivers it, may put the entire enterprise at risk.

7. The higher the leaders rise, the less honest feedback they get from followers about their leadership. Top leaders easily lose touch with the Waze others see them and may remain poor listeners, abrasive, tuned out, or otherwise clueless about their own limitations.

8. Speaking truth to power is a particularly threatening exercise when it entails owning up to the serious error. Employees will not speak truth to power because they miss trust how those above them will respond. If there is one clear moral lesson about organizations, it is that Trece is an essential ingredient to their effectiveness. The problem is that most leaders do not know how to create a bond of trust with followers.

9. Trust is an outcome of all the leader’s accumulated actions and behaviors. People with integrity mean what they say and practice what they preach. Showing respect for people by including them in the flow of relevant information is the essence of transparency and trust. Provide equal access to information to all, refrain from punishing those who constructively demonstrate imperial nakedness. Leaders who tell the truth, admit mistakes, and respectfully listen to the perspectives of others set the tone of an entire culture.

10. Vet & Verify: The mainstream media have accelerated the devaluing of authentic expertise by treating ordinary viewers and readers as equals of those with genuine insight and experience. In a world in which organizational and personal secrets are revealed round the clock at block speed, we have a greater responsibility than ever to vet and verify what we see.

[Ian Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Perhaps I came to this brief and eminently readable series of essays with exceedingly high expectations. Or perhaps I have been through many of the arguments already. For whatever reason, I was disappointed. Not in the quality of the writing, or the strength of the arguments, both of which are superb. But for two reasons. First, because this book will so quickly date, more of which in a moment. And second, and perhaps most importantly, because transparency is a moral and ethical imperative, a prerequisite for a functional democratic and egalitarian society, whereas this book (arguably) builds a case primarily based on mutual self interest. Not an illegitimate reason to be sure, but sadly results in a building without foundations. Remove the shared interest, and you remove the need for transparency.

Anecdotes and case studies - many helpful and illustrative - flow thick and fast, but in largely restricting their purview to examples from the last 30 years or so, the authors may give the impression that transparency is a modern phenomenon, without historical precedent (other than the fascinating section on speaking truth to power). The result is that the book is locked into a time period from which it may struggle to escape. What could have been a timeless imaginative exploration of the fundamental need for transparency becomes a light 'call to arms', and as the anecdotes lose their contextual relevance, so too will the arguments.

Definitely worth a read though. But there will surely be a better book on transparency.