What is Accountability, and Why is it Important?

Accountability means showing up and setting out to accomplish the things you’d said you’d do. It’s about taking personal responsibility for your work. It’s also trusting in your teammates and knowing you can count on each other to get things done. 

Accountability in the workplace can mean that all employees are accountable for their own actions, behaviors, performance and decisions. It's also linked to increased commitment to work and employee motivation, which leads to higher productivity. Employees who feel they are being held accountable for their actions, behaviors and decisions are motivated to perform better because they know they will get feedback. 

Creating a culture of accountability is an essential tool used by high-performing teams to develop better work relationships, eliminate surprises, and improve overall job happiness. Here are 3 ways to create more accountability in the workplace: 

1. Model accountability on your team 

When it comes to building a culture of accountability, change starts with you. 

Team accountability is impossible without strong personal accountability in place first, so it’s important to first work on yourself before approaching an accountability conversation with co-workers or direct reports. 

2. Set clear expectations for team members 

It may sound obvious, but doing what your teammates expect of you requires clarity around what’s expected in the first place. 

Unclear expectations and lack of specificity create accountability gaps. To fill these gaps and reduce ambiguity, try to be as specific as possible. 

Strategies for stronger expectation-setting: 

• Define project ownership: Work with your team to clearly define who owns what. Many teams like to use a RACI chart for each project — clarifying who should be responsible, accountable, consulted, and informed on the work. 
• Use a detailed project spec template: Project specs and one-pagers help teams create alignment, clearly define expectations, and eliminate accountability gaps. Each one should specify the project timeline, ownership, and specifics on the deliverables.  
• Get more intentional with meeting action items: Action items are valuable for a variety of purposes – building accountability is a big one. When action items come up in team meetings, it’s all too easy for them to slip through the cracks or lack enough specificity to drive follow-through. To keep action items top-of-mind, assign a notetaker to document them as you go and share them out immediately after the meeting ends.  
• Publicize roles and responsibilities: When people know their role, they’re more likely to feel a sense of ownership and take charge of their work. Likewise, when teammates understand each other’s roles, it strengthens collaboration, communication, and trust because they know who to turn to for what and what is (and isn’t) expected. As a manager, make it a point to publicize everyone’s role and revisit expectations on a regular basis. 

3. Create a “safe space” environment 

Trust and psychological safety are foundational to building a culture of accountability. Without them, folks on your team won’t feel comfortable opening up, sharing transparently, and taking ownership if things don’t go as planned. 

When you build up psychological safety on your team, people feel safer taking risks, asking for feedback, and being vulnerable in front of each other through the ups and downs that inherently come with any job. 

Building systems for accountability into your team’s workflow can help employees feel more empowered and help managers support them, without micromanagement. 

You can have better performance discussions, build healthy habits around planning and goal-setting, and achieve better results. If you want your team to be more effective, invest in team and individual accountability. 

Overcoming the Dysfunctions of a Team

In my last post I exposed Lencioni’s five potential dysfunctions of a team. Addressing and overcoming each of the five dysfunctions is a crucial step toward improving team performance and success.

Let's explore each one – and uncover strategies for teams to navigate a clear path to success.

1) Absence of trust

Trust is the foundation of teamwork. Teams who lack trust conceal weaknesses and mistakes, are reluctant to ask for help, and jump to conclusions about the intentions of other team members. It is crucial to establish a team culture where individuals feel able to admit to mistakes and weaknesses, and use them as opportunities for development.

Strategies for developing mutual trust among team members:

1. Facilitate team-building exercises: Such activities can help team members to learn more about each other on a personal level, fostering a sense of camaraderie and understanding that can build trust.
2. Model vulnerability: You can lead by example by being open about your own mistakes and weaknesses. This can encourage team members to do the same, fostering an environment of honesty and mutual respect.
3. Promote open communication: Encourage team members to share their thoughts, ideas, and concerns openly. Try making an extra effort to include people who are a little more reserved, and recruit more outgoing members to team occasions where everyone has a chance to speak, can help create a culture of transparency and trust.

2) Fear of conflict

Teams who lack trust fear conflict and are often reluctant to discuss controversial topics and share perspectives and ideas. These discussions are necessary to enable the team to reach a decision, or agree on how to approach and resolve a problem.

Strategies to overcome a fear of conflict:

1. Establish shared rules for healthy debate: Make it clear that disagreement is not only acceptable but encouraged – as long as it's respectful and constructive.
2. Reward candor: if someone has a problem or disagreement, thank them for raising the issue, even if they don’t end up getting their own way. When issues are resolved successfully, consider sharing the story in a more open forum (when appropriate!) as an example of constructive conflict or compromise.
3. Mediate disagreements: When conflicts arise, help mediate the situation. This can help ensure that the conflict stays focused on ideas and does not become personal.

3) Lack of commitment

When teams do not engage in open discussion due to a fear of conflict, team members often feel that their ideas and opinions are not valued. They may become detached or even resentful, and fail to commit to the chosen approach or common goal as a result.

Strategies to overcome a lack of commitment:

1. Involve team members in decision-making: Ensure that everyone feels they have a voice in decisions that affect the team. This can lead to higher levels of commitment.
2. Clearly communicate the team's vision and goals: Regularly remind your team of what they're working towards to keep them committed. Provide the larger context that informs the team’s work. Make it clear how team members’ work contributes to the bigger picture by illustrating dependencies between the team’s tasks.
3. Celebrate achievements and track progress: Recognizing and celebrating when the team meets their goals can help reinforce commitment.

4) Avoidance of accountability

Team members who have not bought-in to the chosen approach or goal will not feel accountable for achieving it.

Strategies to overcome an avoidance of accountability:

1. Set clear expectations: Make sure each team member understands what is expected of them, both by the manager and one another. Invite the team to explicitly define a shared set of standards and collectively commit to sticking to them.
2. Be consistent: Apply rules and standards to everyone equally – if you are always letting certain things slide, the standards are not really ‘a standard’, and you would be better off ‘legalizing’ what you’re currently overlooking.
3. Set team targets and make progress visible: In some types of team, consider setting shared targets and making performance visible. This encourages everyone to pull their weight – some people don’t mind slacking-off on the boss but don’t want to let their mates down.
4. Lead by example: Hold yourself accountable and expect the same from your team. This can help foster a culture of responsibility and accountability.

5) Inattention to results

Team members who are not held accountable for their contributions are more likely to become distracted and focus on individual goals instead of collective success.

Strategies to increase attention to results:

1. Set team goals: Establish clear, measurable goals for the team and regularly check in on progress.
2. Reward team success: Implement a system to recognize and reward the team for achieving their goals.
3. Reiterate the importance of team success: Regularly communicate the value of collective results over individual accomplishments. Recognize and reward people for putting the team goals ahead of their own. Contextualize individual performance through how it impacts the overall success of the team.

Team dynamics play a pivotal role in the success of any organization. The intricacies of how members interact, trust, communicate, and work towards a collective goal can make or break any ‘collaboration’.

As I’ve delved deep into the dysfunctions, it’s evident that addressing them systematically transforms the fabric of group interactions and paves the way for unprecedented success.

Trust, open communication, accountability, and shared vision are not just buzzwords; they are the lifeline of a high-performing team.

So, as you move forward, remember that fostering a harmonious team environment is an ongoing process that offers invaluable rewards. Here’s to building teams that function efficiently and thrive together!

Teamwork: The Five Dysfunctions of a Team

One of the most interesting models of team effectiveness was developed by Patrick Lencioni (2005). According to him, all teams have the potential to be dysfunctional. To improve the functioning of a team, it is critical to understand the type and level of dysfunction.

There are five potential dysfunctions of a team in Lencioni’s model:

1. Absence of Trust:

This occurs when team members are unwilling to be vulnerable with each other, hiding weaknesses or mistakes, and not being open to asking for help. This lack of vulnerability prevents the development of trust, which is the foundation of a high-performing team.

2. Fear of Conflict:

Teams where trust is absent are often unable to engage in healthy, constructive debate. They may avoid conflict or seek artificial harmony, which can lead to a lack of clear thinking and decision-making.

3. Lack of Commitment:

When teams fear conflict, they may struggle to commit to decisions and plans of action. This can result in ambiguity and a lack of clear direction, making it difficult to move forward effectively.

4. Avoidance of Accountability:

Without clear commitments and a willingness to hold each other accountable, teams may struggle to address shortcomings or unproductive behaviors. This can lead to a decline in overall performance and a feeling of team members not being held responsible for their actions.

5. Inattention to Results:

When the previous dysfunctions are present, team members may prioritize their own individual needs and goals over the team's overall success. This can lead to a lack of focus on achieving collective results and a diminished sense of shared purpose.

Each of these dysfunctions has the ability to wreak havoc in a team, significantly impacting its members’ ability to work together effectively and achieve their goals. Regardless of the skill or experience, the more dysfunctions present, the less likely a team is to perform.

Luckily, Lencioni posits that if a team acknowledges and addresses the dysfunctions head-on, they can improve their performance. The benefits of that should be pretty clear, but I think Lencioni says it best with this quote:

“If you could get all the people in an organization rowing in the same direction, you could dominate any industry, in any market, against any competition, at any time.”

― Patrick Lencioni, The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Leadership Fable

In a future post I’ll address how to overcome the 5 dysfunctions of a team.

How to Set Team Goals that Drive Success

Most managers know how important it is to set goals for themselves and their teams. Without some form of direction, teams will meander and just deal with the urgent things that crop up every day.

As leaders, the crucial task of team goal setting falls on your shoulders — it’s your responsibility to establish what needs to get done, what tasks to delegate to whom, and how to bring everyone together to meet every objective. 

When employees have a clear understanding of company objectives and how their work collectively contributes to reaching these, they become an aligned, motivated, and higher-performing workforce — exactly what drives business success. 

With goals to aim for, teams work together to attain something that psychologists call ‘subliminal directives. That is, they have a direction to take that they don’t have to think too deeply about…it just becomes a natural tour-de-force. 

But how should these goals be set? Here are some tips to ensure they are inspiring for the team: 

Few in number: This focuses the mind, so people aren’t pulled in all directions 

Stretching: This makes people work smarter and takes their thinking ‘out of the box’ 

Focused on outcomes: This ensures results are focused on, not activities 

Captivating: They make people desire the outcomes, hence putting more discretionary energy into them 

Valuable: Goals are seen as important to all stakeholders inside and outside the team 

Aligned with values: They are seen as taking the team in the direction they wish to go 

Reduce silo mentality: Goals need collaboration and co-operation from people and teams outside the confines of the department 

These seven components help the team to buy-in to the concepts of teamwork, as they help them achieve and attain something of a higher nature than just doing a job. Relate goals to what will make the team feel successful about themselves, creating a willingness and desire to go out of their way to work smarter. 

The best goals are aimed at providing results that have a real meaning for team members, helping them on the direction towards the vision and mission of the department or organization. That’s a powerful reason why people should be wanting to achieve the goals you set. 

By implementing these tips, teams can enhance performance, foster collaboration, and maintain motivation and engagement. Remember, the journey to achieving successful team goals is continuous and requires dedication, adaptability, and a supportive environment.