How sharing work, ideas, and processes can build better products and stronger organizations

“Working in the open” is a collaborative and transparent way of working where people share their work, ideas, and processes publicly or within a broader community.

This can include sharing progress updates, challenges, decision-making processes, and final outcomes. The goal is to foster collaboration, invite feedback, and encourage others to build on or contribute to the work. It also “bakes in” an element of change management into project delivery.

Key principles of working in the open:

1. Transparency: Sharing the work process, not just the final product, so others can see the evolution, challenges, and decisions made along the way.
2. Collaboration: Encouraging input from others, often leading to richer, more diverse ideas and solutions.
3. Learning and Knowledge Sharing: Making knowledge accessible so others can learn from successes and mistakes, creating a culture of continuous learning.
4. Community and Network Building: Strengthening networks and communities by inviting others to participate, contribute, or build on shared work.
5. Innovation: Open work environments often accelerate innovation as people are exposed to a wider range of ideas and solutions.

Why is it important?

• Increased collaboration: It allows people from different teams, organizations, or even industries to work together, leading to better outcomes.
• Faster problem-solving: Others can offer insights or solutions that might not have been considered otherwise.
• Trust and accountability: Transparency builds trust with stakeholders and the community, fostering a sense of accountability.
• Broader impact: By sharing work openly, it has the potential to influence or benefit a much larger audience.
• Better decision-making: Collective input often leads to more informed and balanced decisions.

It’s particularly common in areas like open-source software, academic research, and government initiatives but can be applied across many fields.

It takes time, but it’s worth it

Teams may be reluctant to adopt “Working in the Open” for any number of reasons, despite its benefits. These reasons often stem from cultural, practical, and psychological concerns:

• Fear of criticism or judgment – Sharing work publicly can make teams vulnerable to criticism, especially if the work is still in progress or contains mistakes. Teams may worry about negative feedback, both from within the organization and from external observers, which can discourage open sharing.
• Intellectual property and competitive advantage concerns – Some teams worry that sharing their work too openly might expose sensitive information, ideas, or innovations that competitors could take advantage of. In industries where intellectual property is crucial this concern can be especially strong.
• Lack of trust or psychological safety – If team members feel that their work will be unfairly judged or misinterpreted, they might hesitate to work openly. This can stem from a workplace culture that doesn’t encourage transparency or constructive feedback.
• Perceived inefficiency – Working openly can involve additional time and effort to document, explain, and share work with a broader audience. Some teams may see this as an inefficient use of resources compared to keeping work private until it’s fully developed.
• Fear of losing control – Sharing work openly can lead to more voices and opinions being involved in the process. Some teams may fear losing control over the direction or quality of their work if too many external stakeholders or collaborators get involved.
• Risk of revealing mistakes or failures – Teams might be reluctant to expose incomplete or unsuccessful work, fearing that this could damage their reputation or lead to questions about their competence. In cultures where failure is stigmatized, this fear can be a strong barrier to working in the open.
• Confidentiality or regulatory restrictions – Certain industries (e.g., finance, healthcare, government) have strict confidentiality and regulatory requirements. Teams in these sectors may face legal or policy constraints that prevent them from sharing work openly.
• Lack of organizational support – If the broader organization doesn’t promote or reward open collaboration, teams may not feel empowered to adopt such practices. Without leadership buy-in, working in the open may seem risky or unrewarded.
• Uncertainty about value – Some teams might not see the clear value or benefits of working in the open, especially if they haven’t experienced the positive outcomes of collaboration, feedback, or knowledge sharing. This can lead to hesitation in adopting new, unfamiliar practices.
• Inertia and resistance to change – Like any new way of working, “Working in the Open” can meet resistance due to inertia. Teams might prefer sticking to established habits and workflows, even if open working could bring long-term benefits.

In order to overcome these barriers, organizations need to create a culture that encourages openness, provides clear benefits for doing so, and mitigates concerns like criticism and intellectual property risks.

Resources

• Working in the open with a sense of humility and community – Government of Canada
• What does “working in the open” mean? – Public Digital
• Working in the Open: What, Why, and How? – nBold