Building a culture of responsibility

IN a digital workplace where every part of a business is connected, an error or a poor outcome in one unit could have a ripple effect that extends far beyond the organization.

Consider the false missile alarm that shook the island of Hawaii earlier this year.

Early in the morning of Jan. 13, people on the island received alerts on their mobile phones saying there was a ballistic missile heading their way. That alert was released by an employee of the state’s Emergency Management Agency supposed to be participating in a drill but got confused and thought there was imminent danger.

His one act of pushing the wrong button sent the entire island in panic, traumatizing many long after the error was corrected.

This breakdown of controls and failure to contain one human error is the kind of scenario that gives CEOs pause when they think about relinquishing control over certain areas of business.

And yet paradoxically, the digitization of work makes it easier for leaders to do just that – delegate. How can

ship? How can they spread the sense of ownership over their organization’s operations while maintaining clear lines of accountability?

Research suggests that people are more likely to have a sense of ownership when these three Rs are present: a strong understading of the Rules; a network of connected Relationships; and an understanding of their Role within that network.

When employees have shared understanding of workplace norms and processes, a sense of obligation or duty to others, and a strong sense of identity, then they also have a sense of workplace responsibility. That is, they take ownership over their actions and decisions and the corresponding results, whether positive or negative.

In this kind of environment, CEOs

trust their employees do the right thing. But the current realities of the digital workplace – telecommut-

chip away at the bonds and shared experiences that help establish and strengthen workplace responsibility.

To reestablish these bonds, leaders can take on these strategies:

Promote intentional collaboration

Nowadays, collaboration can involve a mix of virtual and physical interactions since many organizations have

For this approach to succeed, leaders must make sure team members clearly understand, and are committed to, the goal of the project.

Co-workers should also be encouraged to rely on each other: Consider allowing employees to identify others who are critical to achieving their individual goals. Empower them to communicate more, share information and resources more easily, and provide feedback in real time.

Whenever possible, bring people together to solve a problem or to spark innovation. This will help foster trust and camaraderie among team members. While this may seem like common sense, there’s research to back up the idea that people are more willing to go extra mile and act honestly with people they like and trust.

Drive reciprocity among coworkers

People tend to want to repay those who treat them well, a behavior that interest of others.

Research suggests that one of the ways to engender reciprocity is, quite simply, to treat employees well. When people perceive their organization values their contributions and cares about their well-being, they are more likely to repay that organization with positive behavior and, equally important, they tend to assume a sense of responsibility for others.

Leaders should check in often with employees – an annual survey may not be enough – to assess their commitment to the organization and to each other. During team meetings, even as you ask about outputs and deliverables, don’t forget to check in on your team members’ level of engagement and their needs. Empower them to easily work across multidisciplinary teams and develop the right skill sets without having to go through several layers of hierarchy.

This will allow them to build bonds across the organization and to have a measure of autonomy over their work.

Practice digital leadership

Finally, walking the talk is one approach that never grows old. If you want your employees to have a strong sense of workplace responsibility in this digital age, then be the kind of leader who leverages technology to foster trust and accountability.

As our understanding of “work-

to expand and change, some leaders’ knee-jerk reaction is to heavily police employees, especially those who work remotely or keep unconventional hours. Resist the urge.

Instead, use technology to empower employees and to build agility across your organization. Encourage employees to use technology to share knowledge and to collaborate. Hiring a digital leader, someone who works well with technology and can engage a diverse workforce, may be

environment.

Also, don’t be afraid to get feedback from your team on your digital leadership capabilities. Ask them, for example, how well you and the other leaders encourage risk-taking or eliminate barriers to cross-functional or even cross-border engagement. A well-oiled digital workplace is, after all, borderless, innovative, and dynamic.

Going back to Hawaii’s false missile alert, the employee who committed that error was eventu-

which revealed that his co-workers had long had misgivings about his work performance.

handing in his resignation after taking full responsibility for the incident. It was a sobering lesson on the importance of workplace responsibility in this digital age where borders no longer matter and the consequences of our actions can have far-reaching implications.