Transparency

The most common definition offered for transparency is that it is the opposite of secrecy. In corporate communication, this means that transparency should provide a window into the decisions and operations of a corporation. The corporation is essentially laid bare before the public, opening itself up to public scrutiny and accountability. But as the amount of research on transparency has increased, many scholars question whether transparency has less to do with a lack of secrets and whether it is more about discovering the secrets for engaging the public without damaging the corporation’s reputation. Others criticize the emphasis of transparency research on disclosure or the dissemination of information, arguing that this one-dimensional, sender-centered approach disregards the importance of dialogue and engagement with the receivers of that ...