Can being open and transparent make us more opaque?

Summary

‘Neo’ is an Allied Health Professional working on the frontline and asks what being open and transparent actually means and whether publishing a report or an investigation is just another tick box exercise if lessons aren't learned.

Content

Health organisations regularly state that in the spirit of openness and transparency they put things in the public domain – if something has gone wrong they are open and transparent with patients, their relatives and/or carers, and they want staff to be open and transparent if they see things which are wrong, or if something happens unexpected.

But what does being open and transparent mean?

If we say an individual is transparent it has a negativity about it – they are see-through and potentially have ulterior motives. Sayings such as ‘hidden in plain sight’ or ‘a good day to bury bad news’ relate to information being shared, to organisations being open and transparent, but the information shared will rarely be seen or discussed.

Publishing a report or an investigation without the rationale and context for its commission, or an action plan to address the findings, will tick the box in being open and transparent but misses the point. A report without these elements can be misinterpreted or used as a means for punishment or ridicule, which fundamentally undermines the very culture being pursued.

Would it not be better to present a summary of the report, with the rationale for its commission and what actions are being taken in response, in order to present it constructively; so that these reviews are used to improve the culture and working environments rather than just sharing every detail inevitably to be dissected in the public domain?

It’s not being secretive not sharing every detail. It takes a degree of skill to condense a large report into an understandable summary. It will mean that it is presented constructively, it is read and understood, and that the learning and ethos of the report isn’t lost.

Simon Sinek sums it up nicely: "Transparency doesn’t mean sharing every detail, but means providing the context for the decisions we make".

With this in mind, are we truly open and transparent or unintentionally being opaque in the decisions we make?

Read more stories from staff on the frontline in our Florence in the Machine series.

About the Author

Neo, not a real name, wishes to remain anonymous.