Accountability is a key element of any successful organization. But what exactly does it entail?
Experience has shown the following basic tenets are essential for accountability to flourish.
- Every task, project, initiative, team, process, policy, etc. must have an owner. A single owner.
- That owner must have sufficient control over the resources needed to accomplish the thing. Accountability without authority is a mistake.
- The owner is responsible for ensuring the thing gets done – allocating resources, providing direction, clearing roadblocks, etc.
- If the thing fails to get done, the owner must ensure the appropriate lessons are learned and applied going forward.
- If you are going to intervene in another person’s area of accountability, you must let them know what you are doing. Otherwise…chaos.
I am also a fan of accountability. It’s not only good for an organization, but can foster a company culture that empowers employees and leads to increased employee engagement.