Following the previous article posted on "What is accountability?." In this article we look at the building blocks of accountability.
When we look at the building blocks of #accountability there must be five key elements that support this process.
Let us review the five key elements:
Transparency
All processes in an organisation must be as transparent as possible. Big questions, like how are executive bonuses and increases determined, have recently received a lot of attention especially in the #publicsector. The basic approach to processes must be shared, and specific numbers should be made publicly available. Encourage your #employees to ask questions and give them honest answers.
Honesty
Demand honesty from employees at all levels and include this in your organisational values and put in place consequences. Everyone should be accountable to someone, whether you are working on a #project or as part of your #performancecontract you should be accountable to the project manager or your line manager. Ensure that employees have access to the information that they need to make decisions based on real-time information.
Credibility
Ensure employees are in a position where they can have #credibility. Don’t, for example, move a person from Director of the operations to Director of sales when they have no sales experience. Your staff (managers, leaders, and executives in particular) need credibility to enable accountability. They can build their credibility by sharing past, relevant experiences with staff, or do so on your company website, or through an online communication platform.
Integrity
Integrity, including honesty means following your personal core values and being an accountable day in and day out. It means acting consistently, so that people can rely on you, in good and difficult situations, and in tough spots. Give your employees the support they need by being reliable and fostering integrity as part of the organisation’s value system”
Trust
Employees must trust each other to make honest decisions, in order for them to be successful in their work, to generally act for the good of the organisation, and to be accountable for their decisions. Members of an organisation should also trust each other in a safe environment to ask questions and to test the commitment and reliability of their teams.
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