In a business sense, #accountability is about being true to your word. It is also about being true to yourself and your expectations.
Accountability is an individual value. Real accountability cannot be forced; it must be voluntary. However, although accountability is really up to your #employees, it is up to you to put the tools in their hands so that they can fulfill their potential.
Why the Focus on Accountability?
Over the past decade, more and more people have been called to answer for their actions. Institutions that shape society seem less and less accountable and the phenomenon can be seen all over the world.
Ways to Increase Accountability
Accountability is a delicate balance of control, #delegation, #trust, and #authority. To make people #accountable, you must increase their authority, reduce the controls on them, delegate to them, trust them to do the job, and support them and give them the tools necessary to complete their tasks. After the job is done, they will be held accountable for the results.
In many situations, accountability and authority will be built slowly and simultaneously. The amount of responsibility and accountability will vary depending on the position, but you should expect a high level of accountability from everyone. For example, a housekeeping staff member may have a low level of responsibility and authority, but you would still want them to be 100% accountable for their work, just as the CEO is.
A lack of accountability in an organization is usually caused by a problem in the organization’s structure, hence our frequent references to processes, rather than people. People do need skills and knowledge to be accountable, but these skills will be useless if your organization’s processes do not ask them to be accountable.
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