Some lessons for the church from The Harvard Business Review on creating a culture where people can be honest for the good of the organization:
No organization can be honest with the public if it’s not honest with itself. But being honest inside an organization is more difficult than it sounds. People hoard information, engage in group-think, tell their boss only what they think he wants to hear, and ignore facts that are staring them in the face.
To counter these natural tendencies, leaders need to make a conscious decision to support transparency and create a culture of candor.
Organizations that fail to achieve transparency will have it forced upon them. There’s just no way to keep a lot of secrets in the age of the internet.
Recommendations for developing a culture of candor include starting with your own behavior and working outward—and keep these recommendations in mind.
Tell the truth. …
Encourage people to speak truth to power. …
Reward contrarians…
Practice having unpleasant conversations…
Diversify your sources of information…
Admit your mistakes…
Build organizational support for transparency…
Set information free…
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