Transparency: The Answer to Ambiguity (Wendy Samson, Curt Swenson, 2017)
West Paw Design in Bozeman, MT has been ranked as one of the top ten companies world-wide for producing quality, sustainable pet products. When FutureSYNC International worked with them in 2015, they were ranked as the #1 employer in Montana! What is the secret to their success? We believe it is their emphasis on openness and transparency and their battle against organizational ambiguity that has set them apart.
If you walk into West Paw Design’s state-of-the-art office and manufacturing facility, you will soon notice that their walls are covered with information that many companies keep under lock and key. You can peruse their financials, check out their production goals and examine their scheduling issues. This information is provided on a daily, weekly or monthly basis, rather than annually, in order to give their employees up-to-the-minute information on how the company is doing. What do you suppose this level of of information sharing does to and for the employees?
- Employees become more invested in the quality and production efficiency of their work when they know they have all of the information.
- Knowing the vision and mission of the company, coupled with access to this level of information, equips and motivates employees to troubleshoot at the lowest level.
- Trust can grow when an organization operates using inclusive rather than exclusive communication models, helping to ensure that everyone feels the respect that comes from receiving current information.
- Excluding the confidential, personnel information that should be kept private, transparent companies tend to continually seek out ways to keep employees engaged, curious and in the loop. It becomes their mode of operation.
FutureSYNC International works with hundreds of Montana businesses and organizations every year to expand their knowledge and strategies in order to be transparent. Check out the rest of our website for descriptions of our many organizational development offerings and to read comments from our extensive list of clients. To inquire, call (406) 254-2326 at email us info@future-sync.com for our upcoming Executive Intelligence and Rocky Mountain Center for Women in Leadership seminars. Partner with Future-SYNC to grow your leadership!