For example, one of its four broad components is nurture participation. A key means is through online discussion visible to all, similar to public-facing social media. But even at this late date, high-level folks in some organizations might still feel vulnerable when faced with such transparency. They might feel it's an unacceptable risk compared to quarantining employee feedback in an easily ignored "feedback@" email account.
Yet online discussion is only a more obvious example. The good stuff is fairly crawling with obligations to illuminate, not conceal. Therefore, the first step is a gut check. Will your organization's practiced (as opposed to professed) core values tolerate openness, especially on hot-button topics?
If not, pursuing the good stuff may turn out to be a career-limiting move. To mitigate your risk, it might be crucial to find a high-up sponsor for your efforts — to help you optimize governance (another of the four components) toward openness and illumination. Unless you are the high-level sponsor — and in that case, godspeed.
Regardless, think twice if you're tempted to apply the good stuff selectively or part-way, leaving tolerance for concealment or deception. Like walking around partly dressed, it's a transgression that tends to draw attention to itself. That's true for at least your more perceptive observers and high performers — the ones your organization most needs to engage, not alienate.
From current events: a somber "for instance"
Haiv News, my working demo, chronicles employee news at Haiv LLC, a large organization that relies on international air travel. The Ebola crisis has some of The Haiv's frequent travelers fearing for their health. It's time for the company's official voice to weigh in.
If Haivers don't fly, business slows (in theory, at least) and revenue is lost. It's awfully tempting for The Haiv to conceal by downplaying the health risk with standard-issue reframing ("statistically, you have a far greater chance of meeting harm on the car ride to or from the airport," etc.). Besides, with Ebola news constantly emerging, it's difficult to write something more specific.
Yet that's kind of the point. It's hard to say when the extent of the threat is truly known, so any attempt to reframe it would be speculative at best. But at least one thing is for certain: When the public-facing news cycle grows frenzied and even more sensationalized than usual, that's exactly when a place like The Haiv needs to step up and illuminate — to help its employees feel supported and informed in making their own sound choices.
To see how The Haiv handled it, click its logo over in the right-hand column.
