I think Jeremy's point is spot-on. Besides building engagement with the customers and workforce, the more transparent or open companies have a potentially giant competitive advantage. They make it easier to identify and fix mistakes, which over time is a huge thing for them, their employees, and the customers/partners outside the organization.
As an example, I'd offer Toyota's handling of their gas pedal problem. Sure, it's a short-term PITA, but they're also sending an important signal, "hey, we want you to trust us" to their customers. (I also like that about the security and bug-fix cycle in OSS as well.) I'm sure some troll somewhere is working on a lawsuit against them, but in the long-term I suspect they're buying tremendous good will.
I think Jeremy's point is spot-on. Besides building engagement with the customers and workforce, the more transparent or open companies have a potentially giant competitive advantage. They make it easier to identify and fix mistakes, which over time is a huge thing for them, their employees, and the customers/partners outside the organization.
As an example, I'd offer Toyota's handling of their gas pedal problem. Sure, it's a short-term PITA, but they're also sending an important signal, "hey, we want you to trust us" to their customers. (I also like that about the security and bug-fix cycle in OSS as well.) I'm sure some troll somewhere is working on a lawsuit against them, but in the long-term I suspect they're buying tremendous good will.