Communication Practitioners’ Views on Transparency and Its Impact in Finnish Companies

Abstract

Transparency is a universally accepted communication principle for companies in the 2020’s globalized world. Transparency is considered beneficial because it increases trust among stakeholders, and trust is crucial for the functioning of society and the economy. At the organizational level, transparency is manifested in company policies and practices, as well as in the work of those in charge of communication. Through a qualitative interview study, this article analyzes how communication practitioners working in large Finnish companies view transparency. The analysis shows that while communication practitioners across different companies have common narratives through which an ideal understanding of transparency is produced, they also recognize and address critical tensions between the ideal and practice. The tensions are often connected to regulation: while compliance with rules is highly valued, it is also seen as a resource-intensive and restricting factor, both from business and communication perspectives. Our findings indicate that the cultural ideal of transparency is supported through a shared commitment and sense-making in relevant expert communities and within the companies. The communication practitioners’ commitment also emerges as crucial when they balance between sustaining the transparency ideal and considering the interests and demands of stakeholders and businesses.