First, let’s define accountability because it is a misleading concept. It is an overused word and requires clarification. Then, I’ll describe reasons why we are not achieving accountability. In Part II on December 27, 2009 I’ll provide recommendations that can help win the battle.
Accountability Defined
The word accountability can conjure up negative thoughts. You think about the long overdue performance appraisal, the useless reports, the micromanaging supervisor, bean counting, ineffective employees, and other negative associations.
Effective accountability means communicating clear and specific desired results, guidelines and limitations you must know to be successful, and the consequences of failure. When you go on a trip, you must know the exact destination in order to Google the best route. If you “kind of” know where you’re going then you may only “sort of” get there.
Once I set up an accountability agreement, I ask, “What is your understanding of what is being asked?” I facilitate shared understanding. I don’t ask yes or no questions like, “Do you understand?” The quick answer now is a guarantee of more time later. Time spent siphoning through misunderstandings. The sentence I hate to hear always starts with, “But I thought…”
Effective accountability is so little about reprimands. It is a focus on successful communication. Accountability is not telling people HOW to do the job. It IS defining the successful outcome. It describes what will and will not have happened, allowing the person to use their strengths and creativity. If the person does not achieve what you envisioned, then you probably failed to give them a clear picture of results and limitations. Stephen R. Covey says, “You cannot hold people accountable for the results if you supervised their methods.”
Reprimand is frequently unnecessary when effective accountability agreements are developed together. People will work hard to do a good job based on the assumption that they have all the necessary information.
Accountability Barriers
Ineffective accountability lowers productivity, creates burnout and overload, and causes employees to not take ownership of results. You will experience pace-yourself mentality, blame, and people who are physically present but intellectually absent. Sadly, the extent of accountability for most supervisors is a job description and a work schedule.
I watch organizations put people on teams and charge them with solving a problem. They might say, “We want you to recommend a software program for customer tracking.” It amazes me when that’s all the clarity they give them. Then they just hope for the best. There are so many places it can go wrong. They could choose software that requires a different operating system than is possible. They may choose a system that will cost $10,000 but the organization only has $5,000 to invest. They might start to design a time intensive study to determine the need because no one told them they needed the recommendation in a week. Guidelines and limitations are part of accountability. You can’t hold people accountable if you don’t even give them the rules?
Why don’t supervisors draw an accurate picture and invest the time up front building an accountability agreement? Here are the major reasons why accountability doesn’t exist in most organizations.
Skill - Supervisors often lack the skill needed to clarify specific desired results. Taking the long-range view and breaking it into pieces for implementation isn’t as easy as it sounds. In addition, many times they don’t know what results they are looking for and rely on the employee(s) to anticipate their needs.
Time - Supervisors don’t have enough time. Supervisors are doing a full day’s work. Somehow, in their spare time they are expected to manage the output of others.
Conflict - Human beings tend to avoid conflict. Although it feels good to acknowledge solid performance, we dislike telling people when they fall short of expectations.
Support - Sometimes supervisors don’t have the support of upper management. Depending on their manager’s capabilities, time, and priorities, a supervisor may get undermined, second guessed, or discouraged.
Culture - Collective expectations of what performance is can be a huge factor in accountability. A pace-yourself culture will discourage people from working too hard. Time on the job and not performance-based decision-making can contradict accountability.
Take a look at your organization’s track record. What does accountability mean in your company? How is it supported? In my next article on December 27, 2009 I’ll recommend strategies that can bulldoze through the barriers and strengthen accountability. An investment in accountability can equate to dollars and productivity. E-mail your challenges with accountability so I can include strategies in my next article.