Ranjit Podder :
Transparency is the disclosure of information to the concerned people and it is synonymous to democracy. To be transparent to the citizens, the Bangladesh government has enacted an act called Right to Information 2005. Although transparency is a term most expected to be practiced, it is least practiced or ignored in almost every sector. Transparency is the idea of keeping others informed about what is happening in social, political, and other organizations. It has a great power to impact the performances of an organization positively.
Researchers in the field of Management, Psychology, and Organization Science have put emphasis on the transparency for better output and outcomes of the organizations because it reduces the ambiguity and establishes trust between the heads of the organizations and their workforce. Not only the good news, but also the bad news of an organization should be shared with the workforce as all together make a family; and they work to reach the same goal. If they know everything what is happening in and around the organization, they can take some responsibility as they feel a kind of ownership. It does not sound good is someone says, “I don’t know what is happening.” Only those who are engrossed in corruption, do not like to clarify things to others; sometimes the heads of a firm try to hide something which brings dishonour for them for the whole life because when they are in power, their colleagues may not say anything in fear of the ACR (Annual Confidential Report) but may become the most efficient vocal when the boss is no more in power. Therefore, everyone should remember that, the most powerful person today may be totally powerless tomorrow. Power is ever changing; and change is the only constant.
How can all the members of an organization be informed of what activities are going on and how are they being funded? I know a Principal of a government college who notify in the college Notice Board how much money is there for the college magazine, how much is for the sports, how much is for the cultural program, and so on. The roads and highway contractors or engineers display the information of their project in the signboards. They display some pieces of information such as description of the work, who the contractor is, where the fund is coming from, when the work will be completed, and so on. If the work is in a small organization, it can be disclosed in the fortnightly or monthly meetings.
This kind of disclosure is very important for the clean image of the organization chief and to prove that he/she is not a corrupt person. However, research reveals that many heads misperceive the value of transparency and do not like to disclose the monetary matters and although some of them disclose, they do it restrictively. May be they fear to unveil or they may not feel accountable to the staff. These kinds of attitudes of the organization chiefs make their footing weaker as their colleagues start to dislike and dishonour them. If some colleagues ask about anything happening in the organizations, some heads usually get irritated. They say, “Why are you prodding your nose here? Oil your own machine.” The chiefs should keep in mind that if they invite suggestions from the colleagues, the staff owns the activities, own the organizations. If they are not involved, they just may work for the monthly salary, not for the cause of the nation.
The value of transparency is so high that if the operatives hear about any kinds of loss or any kinds of weaknesses of the organization, they start working with double zeal. Therefore, transparency is a must in every sphere of life. You can share your weaker financial condition with your family which may minimize their expectations to you reducing your pressure.
Transparency is so powerful that sometimes it works as non-monetary incentives to the junior colleagues; it is a kind of sharing responsibility with others. If an organization chief is transparent and trust their colleagues, they safeguard the heads in times of trouble; and if the head is not transparent, the staff may say, “I do not know anything, they head knows everything.” And thus, the relationship between the head and the worker becomes delicate. The recent studies reveal that the colleagues become ready for working harder if they receive respect (or love) from the heads; if the heads pay attention to what the junior colleagues want to say; and if they are trusted with any responsibility.
It is very dishonouring for a committee formed to perform an activity but the money allotted for the activity is spent by the organization head. The colleagues may have questions: Why does the head not allow us to spend the money allotted for a particular event? Don’t they trust the committee members? Does the chief have an intention to misappropriate money? Therefore, why are some organization chiefs do this even at the cost of their prestige? This kind of behaviour is a great breach of transparency!
If the heads of an organization want to run their organizations better in a peaceful and productive way, they must be transparent to others. All the misunderstandings originate from the lack of transparency. Non-transparency in the firms regarding the changes in the work plans, ways of doing things, non-sharing responsibilities, lack of trust in the ability of the work force contribute to the reduced employee commitment. Let’s show respect to the ‘right to information’ and be transparent for the sake of the organization, for the sake of democracy.
(Ranjit Podder, Associate Professor, Teachers’ Training College, Dhaka)
