W hen members of an organization hide the truth from each other, it sets the stage for distrust, lowered productivity, poor decisions, and frustration. Creating an atmosphere where speaking and hearing the truth is valued and practiced takes deliberate attention.
Several problems interact to cause deception in the workplace.
First, people are afraid to tell the truth about their own perceptions because they may look weak or foolish, lose face, or be proved wrong. Next, they suspect and fear that the very people they should be communicating with may react vindictively when they hear an unpleasant or unpopular point of view. While employees fear retaliation, management fears lawsuits. If this weren't enough, most folks want to be polite and avoid saying or doing anything that might embarrass someone, so they remain silent about very important issues. Declaring that truth-telling is valued in a organization is obviously not going to do much to change this powerful set of interlocking belief systems.