Transparency Maturity Matrix
Developed by Kameliya Tomova, Transparency & Accountability Strategist at Vessy.com
| Values & internal processes | Communication | Safety | Decision-making | Outcomes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
5 |
The company has identified transparency as a core value woven into the organisational DNA. It has consistent policies and processes in place on internal communications, transparency, and on how to effectively manage and share information. These are in line with the local legal requirements and are regularly updated. | Employees have timely and appropriate access to relevant and clear information about company ownership, governing bodies and senior management, decisions, work, successes and failures of the company, financial situation, pay structure, new hires and promotions, business partnerships and major events. | Leadership has ensured diverse and inclusive opportunities for staff where they feel safe to ask questions, give feedback, engage in a constructive dialogue, or report misconduct. Staff are frequently made aware of the various available feedback and complaints mechanisms and the safe ways to use those. | The company has long-term processes, practices and a culture of decision-making which is responsive to employee feedback and transparent. Efficient feedback mechanisms enable employees to become co-creators of their work and improve performance. | Employees are genuinely satisfied with the way information is being managed and the channels made available to them. They have trust in leadership and feel safe when asking questions, giving feedback or reporting misconduct. Their feedback and complaints are acted upon in a timely and accurate manner. Performance rates and perception of belonging increase and the company can successfully attract and retain diverse talent. | |
4 |
- | The company has identified transparency as a business imperative. It uses various software and digital tools to enable sharing and the exchange of feedback, but has no formal policies or guidelines to enable a clear structure. Employees and management are often uncertain of what and how much to share. | Employees are regularly informed of key organisational processes, the wellbeing of the company, work-related issues, successes and challenges, but some internal processes and senior management decisions still lack consistency, clarity and transparency. | Opportunities for staff to ask questions, give feedback, engage in a constructive dialogue, or report misconduct are in place. However, some of those are not inclusive to all staff and some feel insecure about using particular channels, especially when reporting misconduct, due to the lack of awareness about the safety of the process. | Leadership makes a lot of decisions on the basis of employee feedback, but there are instances where employees still lack clarity about the logic of certain decisions, feel information is incomplete, or feel that their feedback has not been considered. | Employees are appreciative of the company’s efforts and commitment to transparency. They feel empowered to ask questions and give critical feedback but often lack confidence about what and how much information to share or to demand. Their trust in leadership happens to be compromised by unclear, inconsistent or illogical moves. There are times when it feels like their feedback is being disregarded and some feel the urge to leave. |
3 |
The company recognises the importance of transparency as a compliance matter as well as an enabling concept. It has had some irregular attempts to introduce internal practices that promote transparency, but has no effective policies or procedures in place. Staff are often confused about the use of sources and channels. | Employees are informed of key organisational processes, but in an inconsistent and irregular manner. Some information might be available on the company’s intranet or other channels, but employees still lack clarity and information on multiple organisational fronts. | There are some opportunities for staff to ask questions, give feedback, or engage in a constructive dialogue, but those are not consistently implemented throughout the organisation and are not actively promoted or inclusive. The complaints and grievance system sounds complicated to access. | Leadership consults with staff on some decisions, but has no consistent framework to enable and implement feedback channels. Sharing and receiving feedback is encouraged, but not actively promoted. | Employees wish that the company had a more consistent approach to transparency. They often feel frustrated by the lack of information or the lack of clarity around certain processes and decisions. The absence of a structured approach is discouraging and creates a sense of alienation and low levels of trust that heavily affect attraction and retention rates. | |
2 |
The company recognises the importance of transparency as a compliance matter. A policy that covers minimum local requirements is in place, but there are no aligned internal processes to it. | The company has some practices of sharing information such as end-of-year reports or company newsletters, but access to information on demand is not being favoured. | Employees have limited opportunities to ask questions, give feedback, or engage in a constructive dialogue. The process of submitting a complaint or reporting misconduct is not explained. | The company has no formal processes or practices to enable responsive decision-making. Leadership might consult with some employees on certain matters, but it rarely encourages sharing and receiving feedback. | Employees feel they are not allowed to be a part of major organisational processes. They are relatively disengaged and passive about the company’s wellbeing. Their performance levels are low, attrition rates high. | |
1 |
- | The concept is given minimum recognition. The company has no policies or procedures. | Leadership rarely updates staff openly about key internal organisational issues. | Employees can rarely ask questions or engage in a constructive dialogue. There are no feedback or complaints mechanisms in place. | Decision-making is rarely made as a response to employee feedback. There are hardly any practices of sharing and receiving feedback. | Employees are genuinely disengaged with their work and with the way organisational processes are being handled. They feel unsafe. /unappreciated. Attraction and retention levels are extremely low. |