Five Reasons Your Team Won’t Take Responsibility and How You Change Can That

Things don’t get done unless people take responsibility. And in organizations, leaders and team members must take responsibility to move the vision, and the overall organization, forward. So, why do team members sometimes abdicate responsibility? What holds them back from stepping up when things are on the line? While the reasons can be numerous, here are five common reasons.

1. Lack of Clarity

There are times when a team member doesn’t take responsibility because they lack clarity about expectations. It’s not that they don’t want to do what’s right, they were just never given a clear role description, expectations, objectives, or deadlines. This is especially common when onboarding new team members.

2. Lack of Commitment

Author Patrick Lencioni observes team dysfunction begins when there is an absence of trust. That trust gap creates a fear of conflict, which means when decisions are made about the organization’s direction, team members exhibit a lack of commitment because they never felt comfortable weighing in on the decision. Simply put, the fear of conflict (caused by a lack of trust), produced a decision that people couldn’t buy-in to. What’s the outcome? When team member lack commitment, they ultimately avoid accountability for the decision, which leads to an inattention to results. This is why a feedback culture is so important. It allows everyone to weigh in so that they can buy-in.

3. Lack of Competence

Some team members don’t take responsibility because they lack the skill to do what needs to be done. It’s not a matter of want to but rather the ability to. As a result, they make excuses, hem haw around, or find ways to delay effort and action. Rather than admitting what they don’t know or can’t do, they pretend, or worse, shift blame. This is why ongoing personal growth, professional development, and leadership coaching is so important.

4. Lack of Confidence

A lack of confidence can stem from a variety of things such as personal insecurities or past failures. When confidence wanes, team members can enter into a doom loop where their lack of confidence leads to a delay in action, which results in no progress, ultimately compounding the lack of confidence. This is why it’s so important to provide ongoing encouragement and belief in your fellow team members.

5. Lack of Courage

Finally, some team members don’t take responsibility because they lack courage. In other words, they’re too scared to take a risk, have a hard conversation, or confront the issues that need their attention. As a result, they keep delaying what needs to be done. They need someone to talk to about their fears, and who will encourage their hopes as they identify easy next steps. Sometimes the big, scary steps just have to be broken down into bite-sized pieces.

So, what’s the cure for these five responsibility gaps? Each one is unique, but generally speaking, there are four primary ways to help a team member take responsibility and overcome the gap that’s undermining them.

1. Clarity

If the team lacks clarity, it’s your job as the leader to provide it. They cannot read your mind, so be sure to establish a clear role description, expectations, and answers to any questions they might have. By providing clarity, you remove ambiguity and help the team see the path forward.

2. Coaching

For many of the responsibility gaps, coaching is the best first step. For example, when there’s a lack of competence, confidence, or courage, the team may just need some practical coaching to get them moving forward. They need someone to believe in them, provide perspective, offer key insights, and help them take the right next step.

3. Culture

Team members need a culture that values relationships, accountability, and feedback. Relationships will help you address the lack of connection, and accountability and feedback will help you address a lack of commitment. When these dynamics are part of your culture, they make it harder to hide behind responsibility excuses.

4. Consequences

Finally, with some responsibility issues, you need make the consequences for failure to change clear and timebound. For example, character issues must be addressed immediately. There’s no time to delay, and immediate change is required. Team members need to understand what the consequences will be if a change doesn’t happen by a specific deadline.

Addressing responsibility gaps aren’t easy, but when leaders do, the respect from the rest of the team increases. Not only does productivity increase, but so does organizational momentum and the health of the team.

Obeya - Introducing The Lean War Room Article

Projects are important for generating growth for organizations. Successful projects don’t just happen; they require hard work and collaboration from both project managers and team members to ensure all tasks are completed and goals are met, on time and on budget. However, many projects ultimately fail or are abandoned because the team does not work together to achieve shared goals. To avoid this unfortunate fate, project managers can find help with visual management and the Obeya room. Creating an Obeya room is akin to creating a “war room,” a command center that draws together leaders from across departments in an organization.

I recently authored this article “Obeya - Introducing The Lean War Room” for Quality Magazine which helps you understand the process behind the Obeya room, how to use the room efficiently, the benefits of one, and virtual Obeya Rooms.

You can learn more by reading the full article here:

https://www.qualitymag.com/articles/98010-obeya-introducing-the-lean-war-room

Lean Quote: Love What You Do and You Will Be Successful

On Fridays I will post a Lean related Quote. Throughout our lifetimes many people touch our lives and leave us with words of wisdom. These can both be a source of new learning and also a point to pause and reflect upon lessons we have learned. Within Lean active learning is an important aspect on this journey because without learning we can not improve.

"Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful."   —  Alert Schweitzer

The late Steve Jobs has shared many habits required to be successful and I selected a few to highlight. However, when asked for a single piece of advice essential for success Jobs answered, "you must be passionate about the work you're doing".

Without passion and the ability to leverage our specials skills and abilities, our work day is less satisfying and the contributions we make may be less than what we are capable of.

Below is a list of 7 Key Habits Jobs felt lead to success:  

1. Read every day

Both for enjoyment and relaxation and to also keep abreast of changes within your industry.

2. Make your health a priority

Pay attention to your emotional and physical well-being and "listen" to what your body is telling you.

3. Learn from people you admire

Make the time to absorb the behaviors and actions that make a difference.

4. Plan your day the night before

Do you remember the old Franklin Quest planner? The idea was to document what MUST be done each day, as well as additional actions that could be delayed if needed.

5. Keep your goals in front of you

Ensure that all your actions and behaviors support their attainment.

6. Take action, even when it’s scary

Indecisiveness does not serve us well; do your homework, decide, and take action.

7. Have an attitude of gratitude

Things don’t always go as planned but take the time to appreciate what has gone well and celebrate success.

Habits can’t be developed overnight; you will have to consistently build them.

They should be fostered, cultivated, and nurtured. 

Success requires us to be passionate about what we do. We must feel energized by the work we do. We must build strong, lasting, and supporting relationships.

In the words of Steve Jobs – “In the first 30 years of your life, you make your habits. For the last 30 years of your life, your habits make you.”

Meet-up: 5 Questions from Within the Lean Community With Pascal Dennis

This past month A Lean Journey Blog turned 15 and as I look back on how I got started and who influenced my journey I wanted to revisit a previous series I started in 2012 called the Meet-up.

One of the things I am so found of in the Lean community is the general wiliness to share with each other.  I have learned some much from my very experienced colleagues since I have been an active contributor.  Every month I roundup the best Lean related posts and articles I found particularly valuable from these fellow bloggers and contributors. Each one has their own story and opinions to share.

The goal of Meet-up is provide you an opportunity to meet some influential voices in the Lean community.  I will ask these authors a series of questions to learn about them, their lessons, and get their perspective on trends in industry.

In today's edition, we are going to meet-up with Pascal Dennis. I met Pascal online early on in my blogging journey from his online blog but the real impact of his message comes from his many books. Most of which I've reviewed on this blog. 

Here are his answers so you can learn more:

1. Who are you, what organization are you with, and what are your current lean-oriented activities?

I'm a professional engineer, President of Lean PathwaysLean Pathways, and co-founder of Digital PathwaysDigital Pathways. My current focus is helping organizations protect their core business while igniting new Growth.

2. How, when, and why did you get introduced to lean and what fueled and fuels the passion?

I was introduced to Lean at Toyota manufacturing. I believe that the 'Lean/OpEx' management system is an essential element of sustained, humane, excellence and prosperity.

3. In your opinion what is the most powerful aspect of lean?

Total involvement. 

4. In your opinion what is the most misunderstood or unrecognized aspect of lean?

Experimentation.

5. In your opinion what is the biggest opportunity for lean in today's world? How can that be accomplished?

Learn the methods & mindset of innovation hot spots like Silicon Valley and Singapore.

 

Through their answers to these questions hopefully you will get a sense of the thinking behind those who are shaping the Lean landscape.  I continue to keep learning and thankfully with the willingness of these practitioners to share I am positive you will, too.

Lean Tips Edition #300 (#3526 - #3540)

For my Facebook fans you already know about this great feature. But for those of you that are not connected to A Lean Journey on Facebook or Twitter I post daily a feature I call Lean Tips.  It is meant to be advice, things I learned from experience, and some knowledge tidbits about Lean to help you along your journey.  Another great reason to like A Lean Journey on Facebook.

Click this link for A Lean Journey's Facebook Page Notes Feed.

Here is the next addition of tips from the Facebook page:

Lean Tip #3526 – Increase Accountability by Linking Responsibilities to Purpose

One way to increase accountability in the workplace is to help individuals realize the impact that they have. Every organization has a goal or mission, and professionals who can link their individual actions to that greater mission may feel an increased sense of purpose and responsibility. Individuals may feel more accountable doing smaller tasks, like filling out spreadsheets or sorting files, if they have a complete understanding of the purpose of that smaller task.

Lean Tip #3527 – Increase Accountability by Creating a Safe Space for Growth

Besides taking credit for successes, personal accountability can also include taking responsibility for mistakes. Workplaces that are committed to helping individuals correct accidental mistakes may create a culture of support and learning that makes it easier for individuals to take responsibility for their actions. This can help those individuals to try new ideas and take on new responsibilities with the confidence that their workplace can support them through their period of growth and learning.

Lean Tip #3528 – Increase Accountability by Encouraging Mutual Respect 

A key aspect of accountability is holding respect for those around you. This may involve following through on agreed-upon actions and expressing trust that others may do the same. Companies should allow their employees more freedom in their work or schedule as a method of establishing this trust and helping individuals to develop accountability.

This can work because it increases the amount of ownership that individuals have over their work, which may lead to an increased sense of personal responsibility for that work. Prioritizing being on time can be a great way to foster accountability. This may demonstrate that you respect the schedule of the person with whom you're meeting, which can help to establish mutual respect.

Lean Tip #3529 – Increase Accountability by Evaluating Your Teammates’ Progress

Setting goals is great – but it is impossible to establish accountability in the workplace without evaluating the progress of your team. Feedback is the backbone of evaluating progress in the workplace. Your employees’ feedback on where they are in realizing their goals is just as important as your feedback on the means of attaining those goals. Where there is always room to learn and to grow, make sure that you put a focus on positive reinforcement and motivating your employees to keep moving towards their goals.

Lean Tip #3530 – Increase Accountability by Providing Opportunities for Improvement

A major contributing factor to accountability in the workplace is you, as a manager, investing in your employee’s development. In doing so, you and the team as a whole will certainly reap the benefits as you continue to grow by acquiring new knowledge and adapting best practices. It is important that you make it clear to your employees that you have a genuine interest and willingness in supporting their professional development. Knowing that you are investing time in your employees’ success is going to motivate them to continue learning and growing, making them even more of an asset to the organization.

Lean Tip #3531 – Create a Safe and Supportive Environment

The starting point for productive idea sharing is creating an atmosphere where your team feels comfortable. Nobody will share their ideas if they think they’ll be shown up or embarrassed for doing so. You need to inspire open and honest communication in your team to create an environment where people want to share ideas. This means committing to transparency, providing support to team members, and really listening when people share.

Lean Tip #3532 – Encourage a Culture of Continuous Learning

Your team should be encouraged – and provided with the support for – ongoing learning and growth. In order for a culture of learning to really take root, your team needs a certain level of curiosity. Fortunately, this is something that most people have by the bucketful, to the point that some scientists see it as “innate in all humans — a sensation much like hunger or thirst.” Your role at work is to direct that innate curiosity into productive innovation by offering your team the time, space, and resources they need to thrive. 

Lean Tip #3533 – Encourage Personal Ownership of Ideas

In the same way your team should be accountable as a group, you should also encourage team members to take ownership of their individual ideas. This doesn’t mean blocking other people’s input and support but instead encouraging individuals to stand firm behind their suggestions and solutions.

This is especially important when the idea does not impact the whole team or company since each individual should feel empowered to carry ideas forward within the scope of their own work. Management can help by offering support and mentorship as needed –through formal programs and less formal knowledge sharing.

Lean Tip #3534 – Foster a Culture of Feedback and Improvement

Ideas shared without feedback limit the value an individual and a team can take from them. It curbs a person’s professional growth by removing an opportunity to learn from their successes and failures. As well as providing feedback yourself, you should also encourage open and honest feedback on ideas and implementation from the entire team.

Part of this needs to include providing team members with the time and space to reflect so they can take learnings from feedback and use it as part of their ongoing professional development. This time also allows your team members to reflect and give feedback on their own work, which can be equally as valuable for creative ideas sharing.

Don’t let feedback languish in email accounts and chat threads; actively implement it into your projects and processes. This draws value from it as well as shows your team that engaging in honest feedback is taken seriously.

Lean Tip #3535 – Reward Employee Creativity

A great way to build team collaboration is to incentivize employees when they offer new ideas. A little healthy competition can stoke more creativity as employees push themselves to think outside the box while working towards a prize. And it doesn’t really matter what form your contest takes. Whether it’s between individuals or teams, your people will often be more excited to share their ideas as long as they’re properly motivated.

Lean Tip #3536 – Ask Questions to Foster Ideas

Asking questions from your employees is the quickest way to generate new ideas. It helps in teaching deeper thinking across all employees. It empowers the employees to look at even routine tasks and think if they can be done more quickly. That leads to innovative thinking across the company.

Lean Tip #3537 – Listen to Both Good and Bad Ideas

If you're not willing to hear what your staff have to share, don't make the promise to listen to them. You must be ready to receive both favorable and negative feedback.

If an employee is persistent about an idea that you don’t think is feasible, you still need to consider it seriously. No matter how incredible it may sound at first, an idea can still contain workable elements that you can use in more practical applications.

Lean Tip #3538 – Show Your Team You’re Engaged

If your employees feel that you don’t pay attention when they speak, or that you don’t value their thoughts and opinions, they’ll shut down.

Demonstrate engagement by being present during meetings. This includes making eye contact and shutting your laptop. It’s easy to get distracted by emails or text messages during a meeting—but these small acts of disengagement can negatively impact your team’s psychological safety.

Engagement also means listening to what others have to say. Practice active listening. Ask questions to make sure you understand the other person’s ideas or opinions. By actively engaging, you create an environment where people feel it’s only OK to speak up; in fact, it’s encouraged and accepted.

Lean Tip #3539 – Avoid Blaming to Build Trust

It’s easy when something goes awry to look for someone to blame. But, to build and maintain psychological safety in the workplace, focus on solutions.

Instead of “What happened and why?” ask “How can we make sure this goes better next time? Notice the focus on the collaborative language: How can we make sure this goes smoothly next time? We statements turn the responsibility into a group effort, rather than singling out an individual for a mistake.

Lean Tip #3540 – Nip Negativity in the Bud

If you have a team member who speaks negatively about peers, talk to them about it. Be clear; let them know that you work together as a team and negativity will not be tolerated.

When leaders allow negativity to stand, it can become contagious and spread to others. Employees will think that either they’re supposed to talk bad about others, or that others are probably talking about them. In, either case, it’s a psychological safety killer.

Lean Quote: True Lean is a Mindset

On Fridays I will post a Lean related Quote. Throughout our lifetimes many people touch our lives and leave us with words of wisdom. These can both be a source of new learning and also a point to pause and reflect upon lessons we have learned. Within Lean active learning is an important aspect on this journey because without learning we can not improve.

"We needed to drive not only better profitability, better cash for our investors, but better safety, quality delivery, and productivity performance for our own team, let alone for our customers. And the best way I know to do that is through a lean mindset."   —  Larry Culp, GE CEO

True lean is a mindset. It is when the lean practices and tools become so deeply embedded in how an organization works that they create a problem-solving culture where problems are embraced, owned, analyzed, and fixed. When you boil lean down to its basics, it really is about focusing on the customer with a maniacal pursuit of elimination of waste and unrelenting prioritization.

A lean mindset that focuses on safety, quality, delivery, and cost (SQDC) gives us the tools and instincts to make the right decisions and necessary trade-offs. It ensures that the actions we’re taking today are rooted in long term sustainment and improvement.

Larry Culp, GE Chairman & CEO, and GE Aerospace CEO sits down with Carol Dweck, Psychologist and author, to discuss growth mindsets, lean thinking, and organizational mindsets.

Lean Roundup #179 – May 2024

A selection of highlighted blog posts from Lean bloggers from the month of May 2024.  You can also view the previous monthly Lean Roundups here.  

 

Lean as Alternative Medicine – Bob Emiliani shares his thoughts on what he believes Taiichi Ohno might think of what Lean has become today and what he might say to do about it.

 

The Power and Risk of Rituals – Kevin Meyer returns to blogging and discusses the power and impact of rituals both positive and negative.

 

Aligning 5S and DMAIC for Process Improvement – John Knotts talks about the correlation between 5S and DMAIC and how leveraging these steps can provide a robust framework for achieving tangible and sustainable improvements.

 

Success is the Enemy of Future Success – Pascal Dennis explains the real purpose of strategy deployment is create discomfort and reflection thereby future success.

 

Digital Transformation Outcomes: Why Do Companies Need It to Improve ROI – Danielle Yoon delve into the intricacies of digital transformation outcomes, focusing how businesses can effectively measure and maximize the returns on their digital investments, unraveling the strategies and best practices that pave the way for success.

 

The Productivity Trap – Christopher Chapman discussed the complications of measuring productivity in software development.

 

Understanding Lean Transformation – Matt Savas shares some details about the Lean Transformation Framework and it’s ability to address any troubling issue by answering its five questions.

 

Front-Loading Cost Analysis: A Key Practice in Lean Product Development – Lara Harrington say you can reduce development costs, minimize surprises, and deliver the products customers love with a front-loading approach.

 

Do We Need Another Share in the See, Solve, Share Model of Continuous Improvement? – Mark Graban explains why the model should be “See, Share, Solve, Share” for psychological safety to speaking up about problems.

 

How Old Is Your Thinking? – Bob Emiliani explains that by practicing kaizen every day, and your thinking will be fresh and without limitations, and always alert to outdated traditions.