Failing to establish a sense of accountability comes with a wide array of drawbacks. It creates an environment that erodes the team\u2019s morale, leading to a lack of punctuality, responsibility, diligence, and so fort.<\/p>\n
To understand the value of trust and accountability, we need to view a team or organization as a complex network. People interact with each other regularly.<\/p>\n
Their work often relies on the work of their colleagues, which means that in order for this network to operate efficiently, all the participants need to have a sense of shared responsibility and respect for their peers.<\/p>\n
Lack of accountability often has a snowball effect, causing the entire network of professional relationships to become increasingly inefficient and stressful. As a result, this may lead to a variety of problems like:<\/p>\n
- \n
- Low team morale<\/li>\n
- Lack of clarity in terms of priorities<\/li>\n
- Lack of employee engagement<\/li>\n
- The inability to meet individual and team goals<\/li>\n
- Lack of trust<\/li>\n
- High turnover<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
![\"Issues](\"https:\/\/www.teamly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Issues-that-harm-accountability.png\")
<\/p>\n<\/span>3 common issues that harm accountability<\/span><\/h2>\n
Okay, so if lack of accountability is so taxing to team\u2019s morale and productivity, why not do something about it? The problem is that businesses are different\u2014they have different organizational designs, processes, cultures, and backstories. Therefore, every business must find an individual solution to the lack of accountability.<\/p>\n
On the bright side, there are numerous studies that can show us what the most common reasons for low accountability are. Let\u2019s take a look.<\/p>\n
1. Unclear expectations<\/h3>\n
A study published by Gallup suggests that about half of employees<\/span> actually understand the full spectrum of their responsibilities and what their companies expect of them. Sounds pretty unsettling, doesn\u2019t it?<\/p>\n
This problem often lies at the root of an unaccountable environment. People simply can\u2019t feel entirely responsible for what they do if they have little real understanding of what is expected of them.<\/p>\n
And while some may assume that less clarity in terms of a person\u2019s responsibilities at work may actually foster autonomy and independence, it\u2019s also fair to say it may as well wipe out any inkling of ownership that they may have had.<\/p>\n
2. Fear of failure<\/h3>\n
AMA Enterprise has recently surveyed the management and employees of 500 U.S. businesses. The study uncovered what appears to be the single biggest reason why people avoid taking extra responsibilities at work\u2014it all has to do with the fear of being held accountable for mistakes and failures.<\/p>\n
It appears that punishing employees for poor performance remains a common practice in way too many modern-day companies. It\u2019s easy to see how this irresponsible attitude can seriously undermine people\u2019s psychological safety at work. As a result, people avoid taking on extra responsibilities and challenges\u2014there\u2019s simply no real incentive for that.<\/p>\n
![\"Lack](\"https:\/\/www.teamly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Lack-of-engagement.png\")
<\/p>\n3. Lack of engagement<\/h3>\n
Employee engagement has seen a serious nosedive in the last decade. Fortunately, we\u2019ve seen a very moderate uptrend in the last few years, but the numbers are nowhere near what they should be. A recent study published by Gallup suggests that about a third of the workforce<\/span> is engaged. However, if we switched our perspective for a second, it would appear that the other two-thirds of the workforce could be actively disengaged.<\/p>\n
Using these numbers as context, it makes sense that a large number of employees have to reason to want to take extra ownership and step their responsibilities up, given that they feel unheard and disengaged.<\/p>\n
To some, the idea that people don\u2019t feel heard at work may sound like a non-issue, but this phenomenon is unfortunately much more widespread than it should be. Research suggests that approximately 34% of employees around the world feel like they are unheard at work, and their contributions are not taken into account. Naturally, this can seriously harm their engagement and the desire to be accountable at work.<\/p>\n
<\/span>What can you do about it?<\/span><\/h2>\n
Now that we\u2019ve touched on the problems that cause low accountability and trust, let\u2019s explore some solutions that can help fix the issue.<\/p>\n
1. Define what people are accountable for<\/h3>\n
As we\u2019ve discussed above, lack of clarity in terms of employee responsibility can be a huge issue for workers and can seriously harm their engagement and accountability. This is a great first step to take. People need to understand what they\u2019re expected to do in order to deliver on these expectations.<\/p>\n
Naturally, many businesses have so-called evergreen responsibilities\u2014things that they\u2019re focused on at all times. However, there\u2019s still a great deal of diversity in terms of the individual responsibilities of every individual employee. It\u2019s always a good idea to spend some time outlining and communicating them to the people that work in your company.<\/p>\n
Doing this is an example of high-level accountability\u2014when the organization takes on the responsibility of communicating its expectations to the people involved in order to make their lives at work better and stimulate engagement and ownership.<\/p>\n
![\"Give](\"https:\/\/www.teamly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Give-and-receive-feedback.png\")
<\/p>\n2. Give and receive feedback on a daily basis<\/h3>\n
The next important thing to do once you\u2019ve ensured that your employees have a clear understanding of what their responsibilities are, is providing them with continuous feedback.<\/p>\n
People rarely have to be told to give their thoughts on things\u2014we excel at that. The important thing about feedback is the way it\u2019s provided. Simply cutting to the chase and telling people what you think about their performance point-blank isn\u2019t going to be productive in most cases and in the long run.<\/p>\n
The first and essential element of feedback is giving it in a mindful and empathetic manner. Start by acknowledging their effort and the things they\u2019ve succeeded in. This will help the person understand that what they\u2019re experiencing now isn\u2019t straight criticism\u2014it\u2019s guidance.<\/p>\n
In fact, a global survey conducted by Deloitte<\/span> found that both Millennials and Gen-Z value learning at work at lot. Learning comes next after fair pay and advancement. Therefore, providing people with negative feedback in an unconstructive way will simply dissuade them, detracting them from actually learning.<\/p>\n
Consider using a framework for providing feedback like the sandwich technique\u2014the main idea behind it is to wrap your negative feedback in praise. Okay, but why is this necessary? Let\u2019s take a bird\u2019s-eye view of the reasons a person may have to receive some harsh feedback.<\/p>\n
- \n
- They\u2019ve taken on extra responsibilities but couldn\u2019t deal with them as expected.<\/li>\n
- They\u2019ve started a new project, but fail to understand all of its intricacies, which made them not perform as well.<\/li>\n
- They\u2019re stressed out, which makes it hard for them to focus on work, which makes them less motivated.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
This is by no means an exhaustive list of the reasons why people may be underperforming, but what it aims to underline is that employees very rarely choose to not deliver. There\u2019s always an underlying reason\u2014and it has to be both acknowledged and taken into account. So, to employ the sandwich technique, offer praise for their achievements. Next, slide in your criticism. Afterward, close it off with more praise to give them the motivation to do well in the future.<\/p>\n
However, never forget to enable your colleagues to give you feedback as well. This will help them feel heard, which is extremely important in the modern workplace.<\/p>\n
Providing people with regular and well-presented feedback will only encourage motivation, ownership, and accountability.<\/p>\n
![\"Encourage](\"https:\/\/www.teamly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Encourage-risk-taking.png\")
<\/p>\n3. Encourage risk-taking in the workplace<\/h3>\n
Unfortunately, whenever an issue occurs, or a project is scrapped, it\u2019s the employees that have to take the blame. This fear of being punished will eventually lead to people playing the blame game to avoid being criticized.
\nFinger-pointing isn\u2019t really productive, neither is it conducive to a healthy work environment. Instead, consider building a culture that celebrates collaboration and transparency.<\/p>\nIn fact, managers should promote calculated risk-taking. Responsible risks are at the foundation of out-of-the-box thinking. To do that, consider defining what smart risks are in your organization and reward smart failures.<\/p>\n
4. Lead by example<\/h3>\n
To build a sense of accountability and trust in a company, everyone should be equally responsible for the success of the product and the organization as a whole. A manager should act as a pacesetter for the people he or she works with. They should lead as an example of performance and culture for the team. Lead by example by:<\/p>\n
- \n
- Having accountability in terms of deadlines and promises.<\/li>\n
- Being responsible for your colleagues\u2019 success and ensuring that they have what they need at all times.<\/li>\n
- Respecting everyone\u2019s time.<\/li>\n
- Coming to meetings prepared and on time.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
![\"Give](\"https:\/\/www.teamly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Give-employees-clear-roles.png\")
<\/p>\n5. Give employees clear roles in driving key results<\/h3>\n
It\u2019s extremely common that organizations expect their employees to be accountable and passionate without actually providing them with the challenges and commitments to fuel accountability.<\/p>\n
In fact, employees very rarely feel like their role contributes to the company\u2019s goals in any way. Naturally, this makes them disengage from work. Often, this may lead to a sense of indifference towards their responsibilities since nobody really cares about the product of their work anyway.<\/p>\n
Reassess your employees\u2019 responsibilities and try to spot roles that have no real connection to the organization’s key performance indicators. If you happen to find such gaps, it\u2019s essential to realign these employees\u2019 tasks so that their actions can have a clear effect on the overall success of the company.<\/p>\n
And in doing so, make sure to ditch micromanagement<\/a>\u2014it only defeats the purpose of helping your colleagues be more accountable and trust their colleagues more. So, fundamentally, you should learn to trust them first.<\/p>\n