Transparency Tenets

The 10 transparency tenets are beliefs about community building held to be true by ENTS after implementing the P=ENTS methodology with their communities and learning from the experience.

1. Promote open and honest communication as the foundation of trust, ethical conduct and accountability.

Example: In gaming communities, the developers frequently communicate updates, changes and future plans directly to the players. This openness establishes trust and keeps players engaged and informed.

2. Ensure transparency in decision-making processes, making them accessible and understandable to all.

Example: Open-source projects on platforms like GitHub emphasise making the decision-making processes visible. Every pull request, code review and discussion is available for any member to view and understand.

3. Advocate for the fair and unbiased sharing of information, resisting manipulation or distortion.

Example: Communities around NFT projects have platforms where collectors can access transparent transaction records, ensuring the authenticity and origin of every digital collectible without distortions.

4. Create mechanisms for community feedback and participation in decision-making processes.

Example: Companies with a flat organisational structure, facilitate platforms where employees can give direct feedback on projects and organisational changes, ensuring everyone's voice is considered.

5. Encourage transparency as a collective endeavour where all stakeholders actively engage to ensure openness and accountability.

Example: In startups, tools like Trello or Notion allow stakeholders to engage actively, track progress and ensure transparency in a company's milestones and challenges.

6. Reconcile the need for transparency with adherence to legal obligations and the safeguarding of security and privacy. 

Example: In cybersecurity communities, while there's an emphasis on sharing vulnerabilities and solutions, there's also an acute awareness of not disclosing information that could be exploited maliciously.

7. Be wary of full transparency, which can foster blame culture, resistance and disengagement.

Example: Google, despite its emphasis on an open culture, recognises the risks of oversharing. There's a balance struck between keeping employees informed and not overwhelming them with information that might lead to unnecessary blame or criticism.

8. Encourage transparency in community governance, fostering a culture of trust, responsibility and ethical conduct.

Example: Game moderation teams in MMOs maintain transparency by publishing rules of conduct and the actions they take against rule-breakers, ensuring a fair environment for players.

9. Promote transparency in resource allocation and its stewardship, ensuring fairness and accountability.

Example: In many online multiplayer games with in-game economies, the allocation and distribution of in-game resources are critical. The developer provides detailed data and statistics about market trends, resource distribution and player-driven economic activities. This allows players to make informed decisions and promotes trust in the game's economic balance. 

10.  Strive for transparency in community performance metrics, fostering a culture of meritocracy and accountability.

Example: Platforms like Stack Overflow have transparent metrics about user contributions, upvotes, and accepted answers, fostering a culture where merit is clearly recognized and rewarded.