Workplace responsibility or accountability — Part 2

Last week we talked about being responsible and accountable at work. This week, we explore how to build a culture of responsibility and accountability.

Challenges to building responsibility

An article by Deloitte describes challenges we face in building responsibility, particularly in a digital environment. The article identifies three “pillars of responsibility, which help determine the level of motivation employees have toward owning an outcome.” They include: role clarity, rules compliance and strengths of relationships. If employees understand their role, believe that coworkers are engaged and comply with organizational norms or expectations and feel connected to co-workers, they are more likely to take responsibility.

Unfortunately, the digital environment can compromise the strength of these three pillars because of the: rise of virtual bonds and remote work, increased automation and the shifting pace of work. To counter this, the article suggests: promoting intentional collaboration; driving reciprocity among coworkers; and, practicing digital leadership

When companies take steps to increase the reliance of employees on each other, it helps them feel more connected (intentional collaboration). If employees feel well treated by the company, they’ll be more likely to take responsibility (reciprocity). And, if those at the top are good role models for taking responsibility, others will follow (digital leadership).

Building a culture of responsibility and accountability

A post in BetterUp. com emphasizes that a “culture of accountability encourages all leaders and individual contributors to assume control over their own outcomes.” When accountability +0.1 is a way of being, everyone benefits — better, faster decisions; skills and opinions of all members are considered; less wasting time and energy on conflict; more engaged employees and increasing productivity, to name a few.

They suggest some tips to encourage accountability and responsibility:

• Be an example of behaviors — act and speak consistently about “how things are done around here.”

• Build trust.

• Engage employees.

• Provide a safe space for:

• communicating clear metrics by which all team members know they will be measured

• providing timely feedback on performance and how to improve

• making it clear that mistakes have consequences, not punishment

• providing support in between performance and improvement feedback through which people will hold themselves accountable

There are repeated themes in a Forbes.com article such as leadership setting the tone and example, setting clear goals and establishing benchmarks and measuring progress (metrics). Additionally, this article adds that hiring the right people and over communicating also help create a culture of responsibility and accountability.

Hiring the right people seems obvious — of course we want to do this! But, in this context, the “right people” means people who are committed to growth and open to constructive feedback that helps them grow. These employees will help you create and sustain a culture of responsibility and accountability.

The final theme, overcommunicate when in doubt, is my favorite. I really think that in business, despite all the ways we have to communicate, we are so inept at communicating that we’re not likely to get to a place of overcommunicating. What might seem like over-communicating is actually a reasonable amount of communication. The more information we share with employees and the more frequently we communicate, the better chance we have of creating a culture of responsibility and accountability. We take responsibility and are willing to be accountable when we feel we are informed and included.

If we want to build a workplace culture that fosters responsibility and accountability, we need to consider how a post-COVID business world that splits itself between virtual and in-person activity impacts our employees. The more we help them feel connected — to the organization and to each other — the more they may be willing to be responsible and accountable.

This is consistent with what we’ve said in previous lessons. Perhaps we need to focus more of our energy and effort on integrating what we know works — employees are our greatest asset, so we should act like they are.

Next Month: Strengthening Workplace Communication

The more information we share with employees and the more frequently we communicate, the better chance we have of creating a culture of responsibility and accountability.