I was at the Commission for Women's Second Annual Awards Luncheon today.
I co-chair the Wage Equity Ad-Hoc Issues Committee for the Commission for Women (CFW). Our committee was charged with studying wage equity issues and looking into commission responses related to wage equity. One of the areas related to equity for on which I want to focus is information transparency. (I won't go into to all the ways we'd like to go about doing this. If really you want to know, join CFW/the Wage Equity committee as an appointed or affiliate member.)
Before I talk about information transparency, let me state that my opinion is mine and mine alone (unless you share it, and I welcome you to reply with yours). My words are in no way some official opinion of Penn State, CFW, Wage Equity, the Kauffman family, the Massaro family for that matter, or any other individual besides those that may exist in my head to rationalize what I say...
Now what was I saying? Ah yes, information transparency.
They say knowledge is power. If that's true, how are you choosing to use it? Do you share power with every one in a virtual town hall or...
- Do you keep it within your only those in your profession like an oligarchy?
- Do you have super-secret groups of like-minded colleagues forming planning coups-d'etat?
- Do you withhold it because it's "need to know" or people are better of not knowing it, you, Hierarchical Dictator, you?
- Do you horde it all like an evil mastermind?
I confess to all of the above. BAD NIKKI!
The choices we make in how to hold/withhold power are choices that affect others. Every choice we make to share or withhold knowledge has profound consequences on our colleagues and my organization.
- When we share our knowledge, we are empowering someone to do their job, evolve their position, and/or to improve their own personal status.
- When we withhold knowledge, we are protecting someone or something from someone or something. Someone/something is preserved. Someone/something gets hurt. That's the way defensive power works.
The questions you have to ask yourself, then, are:
- Who am I empowering by sharing this information?
- Who/what am I protecting by withholding this information?
- Who/what am I harming by withholding this information?
- Am I causing more harm than good by withholding this information?
The truth is, there are times when sharing information is more harmful than keeping it confidential, making #4 a resounding "no".
However, we should look at those times when we are denying an non-IT person, a staff assistant, a part-timer, a cross functional team member, or another colleague the opportunity to empower himself/herself by withholding documentation, training and professional development opportunities, meeting minutes, and other useful information that could be shared.
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