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Since transparency is the opposite of lack of transparency, I don't understand how transparency can have bad effects without the opposite (lack of transparency)

Since transparency is the opposite of lack of transparency, I don't understand how transparency can have bad effects without the opposite (lack of transparency) having the opposite (good) effect. It can't both be the case that transparency ever has bad effects and lack of transparency never has good effects: pick one of the bad effects of transparency and introduce "lack of transparency" in its place. Isn't that bad effect now gone? Isn't that a good effect of the lack of transparency?

watwut 5y ago
The whole point of 1:1 is that some privacy allows people to say things they would not otherwise. So yes, lack of transparency can have good effect.
- taeric 5y ago
  I want to believe this. I also believe that 1:1s is a bit of an aggressive tactic to force someone to talk when they may not want to. :(
  - SpicyLemonZest 5y ago
    It's a hard problem. Some people don't want to talk for good, well-founded reasons; others (and I'm often guilty of this myself) don't want to talk because they just instinctively flinch away from hard but necessary discussions.
  - baq 5y ago
    1:1 is a tool that requires a certain level of skill to be used successfully. it can be used for many purposes and in many ways. if you're describing your past experiences, you should definitely level that skill, especially if it makes you uncomfortable.
JadeNB 5y ago
I think it's a question of whether we're playing a single round of a game or an iterated game; or, to phrase it differently, whether we're discussing single acts or culture. Granted, any time that transparency leads to bad effects, lack of transparency would presumably have led to the lack of those bad effects, and so be good, at least indirectly. A one-time lack of transparency can perhaps be appropriate. However, a culture of lack of transparency is not the opposite of a culture of transparency, and those are the two poles I really see us discussing. A culture of transparency can lead to problems, but can also lead to good things (or at least to the exposure of bad things so that they can be addressed); whereas a culture of lack of transparency always will lead to problems, and any temporary good results from its imposition will be overwhelmed by its long-term ill effects.
- taeric 5y ago
  It is also a question of whether the transparency allows dissenting views. Often, it doesn't. Which isn't to claim that all dissenting views are good. But when you are an industry that is having a hard time with minority views, forcing the minority to take center/public stage at all times is actually somewhat counter productive. Put differently, if you are going to encourage transparency for communication and decisions, you have to take extra care to not punish good faith mistakes.

watwut 5y ago

The whole point of 1:1 is that some privacy allows people to say things they would not otherwise. So yes, lack of transparency can have good effect.

taeric 5y ago
I want to believe this. I also believe that 1:1s is a bit of an aggressive tactic to force someone to talk when they may not want to. :(
- SpicyLemonZest 5y ago
  It's a hard problem. Some people don't want to talk for good, well-founded reasons; others (and I'm often guilty of this myself) don't want to talk because they just instinctively flinch away from hard but necessary discussions.
- baq 5y ago
  1:1 is a tool that requires a certain level of skill to be used successfully. it can be used for many purposes and in many ways. if you're describing your past experiences, you should definitely level that skill, especially if it makes you uncomfortable.

JadeNB 5y ago

I think it's a question of whether we're playing a single round of a game or an iterated game; or, to phrase it differently, whether we're discussing single acts or culture. Granted, any time that transparency leads to bad effects, lack of transparency would presumably have led to the lack of those bad effects, and so be good, at least indirectly. A one-time lack of transparency can perhaps be appropriate. However, a culture of lack of transparency is not the opposite of a culture of transparency, and those are the two poles I really see us discussing. A culture of transparency can lead to problems, but can also lead to good things (or at least to the exposure of bad things so that they can be addressed); whereas a culture of lack of transparency always will lead to problems, and any temporary good results from its imposition will be overwhelmed by its long-term ill effects.

taeric 5y ago
It is also a question of whether the transparency allows dissenting views. Often, it doesn't. Which isn't to claim that all dissenting views are good. But when you are an industry that is having a hard time with minority views, forcing the minority to take center/public stage at all times is actually somewhat counter productive. Put differently, if you are going to encourage transparency for communication and decisions, you have to take extra care to not punish good faith mistakes.