Measuring the relationship between organizational transparency.pdfVIP

Brigham Young University BYU ScholarsArchive All Faculty Publications 2008-04-01 Measuring the relationship between organizational transparency and employee trust Brad R. Rawlins brawlins@astat . du Follow this and additional works at : http://scholarsarchiv .byu. du/facpub Part of th Communication Commons R comm nd d Citation Rawlins, Brad R ., M asuring the r lationship b tw n organizational transpar ncy and mploy e trust (2008). All Faculty Publications. Pap r 885. http://scholarsarchiv .byu. du/facpub/885 This P r-R vi w d Article is brought to you for fr e and op n acc ss by BYU ScholarsArchiv . It has b n acc pt d for inclusion in All Faculty Publications by an authoriz d administrator of BYU ScholarsArchiv . For more information, pl ase contact scholarsarchive@byu. du. Public Relations Journal Vol. 2, No. 2, Spring 2008 © 2008 Public Relations Society of America Measuring the relationship between organizational transparency and employee trust. Brad L. Rawlins1 The literature on transparency and trust suggest the two concepts are related. While this idea is logical on its face, would it hold true if measured? Using an instrument that measures both transparency and trust, analysis of employee opinion supports this notion. In particular, organizations that encourage and allow public participation, share substantial information so their publics can make informed decisions, give balanced reports that hold them accountable, and open themselves up to public scrutiny, are more likely to be trusted. Introduction While trust in government and media continues to decline, the