Key Characteristics

For an organization to foster accountability, several essential elements must be established:

  • The entire organization must recognize and commit to the concept of accountability.
  • Commitment to accountability must begin at the leadership level and permeate throughout the organization.
  • Any areas exhibiting a deficiency in accountability need to be identified and addressed.
  • There is a strong connection between accountability, responsibility, authority, and employee engagement.

The Accountability Cycle

Establishing, monitoring, and ensuring accountability is a continuous cycle:

  1. Set expectations and Goals
  2. Give authority and create ownership
  3. Delegate appropriate tasks
  4. Monitor the work
  5. Evaluate the work
  6. Give Feedback

Ways to Increase Accountability

Accountability involves a careful balance of control, delegation, trust, and authority. To foster accountability, it is essential to enhance individuals’ authority, minimize controls, delegate responsibilities, trust them to perform their tasks, and provide the necessary support and tools. Once the task is completed, they will be held accountable for the outcomes.

In many cases, accountability and authority develop gradually and in tandem. The level of responsibility and accountability may differ based on the role, but it is important to expect a strong sense of accountability from everyone. For instance, while a housekeeping staff member may have limited responsibility and authority, they should still be fully accountable for their work, just as a CEO is.

A lack of accountability within an organization often stems from structural issues, which is why we frequently emphasize processes over individuals. While people require specific skills and knowledge to be accountable, these skills are ineffective if the organization’s processes do not promote accountability.

The Building Blocks

Five essential elements must underpin this process:

Transparency 

All organizational processes should be as transparent as possible. Important questions, such as how executive bonuses and raises are determined, have gained significant attention recently. It’s vital to share the basic process and make specific figures public. Encourage employees to ask questions and provide them with honest answers—this expectation should be mutual.

Honesty 

Foster a culture of honesty among employees at all levels. Everyone should be accountable to someone. Ensure that employees have access to the information necessary for making informed decisions based on real-time data.

Credibility 

Employees should be placed in roles that support their credibility. For instance, avoid moving someone from the VP of Production to the VP of Sales if they lack sales experience. Staff members—including managers and executives—need credibility to be accountable. They can enhance their credibility by sharing relevant past experiences with their teams or by communicating this information through company channels such as newsletters or memos.

Integrity

 Integrity involves adhering to your values and being accountable consistently. It means acting reliably, allowing others to depend on you in both favourable and challenging situations. Provide employees with the support they need to uphold their values.

Trust

 Employees must trust one another to make honest decisions, perform well, and act in the company’s best interest while being accountable for their choices. Team members should also feel comfortable asking questions that test each other’s accountability and reliability.

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