It’s a Nude New World!

Naked, naked, naked… if you follow my blog or if you are reading HBR, Huffington Post and the like, you are taking notice of our nude new world.  “Don’t confuse transparency with a lack of privacy” embrace it as “a new form of power”, words to live by from Macrowikinomics authors Don Tapscott and Anthony Williams.

In a recent article Thriving in an Age of Hyper-Transparency, Don and Anthony say “Transparency should refer to the release or exposure of pertinent information — information that can help stakeholders if they have it or harm them if they do not. Employees should not violate confidentially agreements or the law…”  In other words, your intent with transparency matters.  Transparency with the intent of harm is powerless, in fact it is risky business both morally and legally.  What we are advocating is transparency that empowers.

“Rather than something to be feared, transparency is becoming central to business success.  Every company needs a transparency strategy. It has to rethink what new information should be made available to employees, customers, business partners and shareholders. Corporations that are open perform better. Transparency is a new form of power, which pays off when harnessed.”  I urge corporations to take this sound advice literally.  To survive and thrive in our nude new world it is not enough to be more open, you will need a transparency strategy that reinvents accessibility to information.  This is guaranteed to expose you to new complexities but trust that the rewards far exceed the efforts.

For my readers that share my passion for customer experience, bring out the champagne, this nude new world breeds trust and trust breeds loyalty.  Transparency is a key component to the 8th habit of Highly Effective Customer Experience Leaders.

Much of the published discussions I have encountered thus far have focused on corporations and government, this is a result of numerous scandals exposed in recent years.  Yet the need for transparency in social responsibility is just as crucial.  It is an essential missing component that is enabling our giving to exponentially exceed what is being received by those in need.  In my recent post Mass Responsibility, I explain that “we need to rebuild philanthropy on a trusted and transparent foundation that is fiscally responsible and value driven.”

Bottom line is that transparency fosters end to end responsibility and empowers your economic destiny.

Related posts:

1. Part 5 of 7: Are You Ready to Get Naked?
2. How to be Successful in Our Evolving Customer Centric World
3. Part 2 or 7: Does Every Company Struggle with Communication?
4. New Series Part 1: Getting Naked with Joe Ames
5. Part 4 of 7: Is Your Corporation Socially Responsible?