Honesty and transparency at top of employees' wish list

Leaders can harness technology to better reach out to their employees. Photo / Thinkstock

Research by Kenexa found up to 40 per cent of an organisation's success can be attributed to its leadership.

In his research, Dr Jack Wiley (president of the Kenexa High Performance Institute) notes one of the seven critical elements employees want in their workplace is leaders who are honest and transparent in their actions as well as their words.

However, local data from the Kenexa Best Workplaces Survey 2012 indicates only 60 per cent of employees believe communication in their organisation is open and honest.

As leaders, perhaps we think we need to share information only when we have all the answers. In truth, leaders do not need to have all the answers; they simply need to share what they know with others and then give people an opportunity to respond. This not only makes people feel their opinion is valued but also gives leaders an opportunity to check people have interpreted their message correctly.

Marina Dzepina, a consultant at Kenexa, an IBM company, says, "Leaders have to keep finding new ways to connect with their people. For example, some CEOs are already blogging daily to employees and allowing for comments and feedback through social networking engines like Yammer and Twitter."

Communication is more than just words - up to 90 per cent of communication is nonverbal. However, with the increased use of technology, some leaders are relying too heavily on non-engaging or low participatory communication channels such as email and static intranet updates.

Marina Dzepina says some managers send out videos of themselves or use Skype to more closely connect with scattered employees.

• Hear more on the latest global and local leadership research from Jack Wiley (PhD) at the Kenexa Engagement Conference on June 20 in Auckland. Registration required.