To begin our discussion of transparency and authenticity I will look at two case studies from the online magazine Wired. The first is a fictional example that gives us a good look at what transparency is. In Wired’s “What We Can Learn from The Office”, transparency is described to the extreme. The premise behind The Office is a small paper-supply firm brings in a documentary team to gain publicity for their company. The audience sees a no-holds-barred look at the personal lives of the employees and a boss who does not self-edit himself. The result is a very candid and transparent look into an office environment.
While Dunder Miflin may be fictional and the transparency involved extreme, it is a valuable lesson to businesses. Show your company in a candid way, with the good and the bad, and your stakeholders are more likely to respond in a positive way.
In a real example, that ties transparency and authenticity to new social media, Wired’s “Operation Channel 9,” discusses how Microsoft employees are utilizing podcasts. These employees post interviews of engineers talking about their jobs and new products. These videos are largely unedited, and anyone can see them and comment on them. This shows an open and frank view of Microsoft as a company. It is a great example of how a company can utilize social media to be transparent and get employees involved in the process.
Employees are a great tool for this effort because they give credibility to the messages. The information is coming from the inside of the company and not from the corporate communications department. Not only do employees have the knowledge to talk specifically about what they do, they can give a behind-the-scenes look at what the company does.
See Microsoft’s Channel 9 project here.
Very informative entry! It really helped me understand why transparency is so important for a corporation when dealing with it’s public. I also liked what you had to say about Employees being a great tool because they do see a company from a very different perspective than the CEO or consumers. They are more of a middle ground and can see both sides, they would be great resources for bloggers, podcasters, etc. for a corporation. I also thought your example showed a very clear example of corporate transparency. I’m looking forward to hearing more about it.
This was such an interesting post to read! I love how you used a case study involving The Office to begin your study on transparency because it is such a popular show at the moment and offers an easy way to bring your readers into the subject! Also, I like how you focused each case study on the fact that it is important to show your stakeholders unedited material that really demonstrates the culture of the company. It makes things so much more real and, as a consumer, I definitely appreciate and respect that. Great job! I can’t wait to learn more!
I really liked this post! I like how you used the example of “The Office” as transparency (not just because I love the show). Many people know the concept of the show so it makes it easier for readers to make the connection. It was also great to see an example form a real company and how they use transparency. I feel like when stakeholders are allowed to see things unedited and behind the scenes, it builds interest and persuades them to keep visiting. I hope you include more examples like these in your future posts!
I think this is a very refreshing look on transparency. I enjoy watching The Office every Thursday (with you) and now that I have this new perspective, I think the show will have more meaning than a sarcastic portrayal of an employee’s “work life”. I am interested to see how you think Pam and Jim’s romantic relationship applies to authenticity.
[...] like Twitter (see the Ford post) or letting employees communicate via podcasts (see the Microsoft post). Participation in dialog with stakeholders shows that you care and that can do wonders for your [...]