The dimensional structure of transparency: A construct validation of transparency as disclosure, clarity, and accuracy in organizations

Abstract

In this article, we advance research on transparency by developing and validating a measure based on recent theoretical insights about its dimensionality. We find that transparency—defined as the perceived quality of information—is a three-dimensional construct consisting of perceived information disclosure, clarity, and accuracy. Evidence shows items associated with these dimensions can be aggregated into a single transparency construct. We also find that transparency (as an aggregate construct) is distinct from neighboring constructs such as informational justice and capable of predicting perceptions of the source’s trustworthiness (ability, benevolence, and integrity). Finally, we find evidence of measurement invariance between two commonly used referents of analysis, yielding confidence in the application of the proposed measure across research settings. We discuss implications of the new measure for research on transparency, the extension of the new measure to related research traditions, and the practical application of the new measure for managers interested in constructing and appraising transparent messages.

The Role of Transparency, Trust, and Social Influence on Uncertainty Reduction in Times of Pandemics: Empirical Study on the Adoption of COVID-19 Tracing Apps

“…This may be due to the peculiarities of the COVID-19 pandemic, as people likely became used to constantly encountering new complex information and thus accepted a lower level of information lucidity. Despite the missing effect between clarity and initial trust, our findings are consistent with the existing transparency-trust literature [ 51 , 62 , 63 ].…”

“…Transparency perceptions are essential as they form the basis for active and passive information-seeking strategies. By using the recent DCA-transparency scale [ 63 ], we further elaborated on the role of transparency (ie, information quality) in URT as proposed by Venkatesh et al [ 28 ]. Finally, it was shown that trust transfer theory holds true in the investigated setting.…”

“…Trust in government was examined through a 4-item scale adapted from Bélanger and Carter [ 53 ]. Transparency (reflecting individuals’ perceptions of information quality) was adopted from Schnackenberg et al [ 63 ], and each dimension was based on 4 items. Privacy risks was measured on a 5-item scale developed by Rauschnabel et al [ 44 ], and a 5-item measure was adopted from Featherman and Pavlou [ 89 ] to assess performance and social risks.…”

“…Composite reliability of all items exceeded the cut-off value of 0.6 [ 92 ]. The final questionnaire with all constructs, related survey items, their sources, and the aforementioned indexes is presented in Multimedia Appendix 2 [ 44 , 45 , 52 , 53 , 58 , 63 , 89 , 93 ].…”

“…Based on the transparency and trust literature, it is widely believed that transparency perceptions are positively related to trust [ 62 ]. This is shown by Schnackenberg et al [ 63 ] who explored the positive role of employees’ transparency perceptions (disclosure, clarity, accuracy) in the context of employees’ trust in their manager in organizational settings. Rawlins [ 51 ] also showed a positive link between transparency and employee trust, and highlighted the mutual relation between transparency and trust.…”