How Transparency Builds Trust When No One Understands the System Anymore

A team at a large bank noticed their trading results didn’t make sense, but no one questioned the system—everyone assumed someone else knew how it really worked. One analyst decided to investigate how trades actually flowed from customers to markets. She asked IT how orders were routed, double-checked exchange fee schedules, and kept finding inconsistencies. When she explained her discoveries in plain language to her colleagues, there were sighs, awkward laughter, and even some defensiveness. But once the truth was out, managers realized long-standing hidden costs were creeping in, and employees felt more empowered—transparency cut through confusion and bred trust, even among people who still didn’t love the answers.

Translating big, complex routines into clear explanations is rarely easy. It stirs discomfort: nobody wants to seem naïve, or to upset the status quo. But the payoff is huge. Behavioral science shows that when leaders or peers explain their reasoning or reveal unseen rules, people are more likely to trust systems—even imperfect ones—and feel empowered to take part in improvements.

In organizations, this is called 'procedural justice': the sense that rules are fairly explained, consistently applied, and open to feedback. People don’t need everything to go in their favor; they just need to believe the process isn’t hiding secrets or playing favorites. In teams, families, and communities, the person who’s willing to shine light on the process—even if everyone’s busy—becomes a trusted source of clarity and safety.

Pick one routine in your life that feels confusing, maybe something you usually shrug off but wish you understood better. Find out who makes decisions, what criteria they use, and what happens when things go wrong. Don't stop at the first vague answer—keep asking why until you get something concrete. Then, practice explaining what you’ve learned to a friend or colleague who’s also affected by this process. When you do, invite them to add what they know or raise what still doesn’t make sense. Sometimes, just this small act is enough to turn a foggy, intimidating system into something people can trust and improve together.