When you know what is expected of you, and you have bought into the decisions you have made together as a team, it is your shared accountability that decides whether you reach the goal. Because you have probably also experienced a team with no accountability: you avoided the uncomfortable conversations, the team missed important deadlines, and key deliverables fell through the cracks. A lack of accountability also shows when the team points upwards in the organisation to explain away a lack of discipline. And it shows when the team dislikes colleagues who hold different standards than their own.
So how does accountability — or responsible behaviour — come about? It comes about when you expect to be held to account for your actions and your attitudes in front of others (J. Avey, 2009). That is why accountability is also the root of successful social systems, and therefore of teams (D. Frink, 2004). You can be highly engaged and disciplined, but when your motivation dips, it is a high level of accountability that makes you deliver on time, turn up to meetings prepared, and generally keep the agreements you make with yourself and your team.
Accountability, or responsible behaviour, comes about when you expect to be held to account for your actions and your attitudes in front of others.
Teams and organisations that have not learned and understood accountability will most likely fail — just as we saw with the energy company Enron, which dressed up its accounts, or the audit firm Arthur Andersen, which shredded documents (D. Frink, 2004). The financial crisis was first described as a crisis of trust, but once it became public that bank directors were getting big golden handshakes, we realised it was a crisis caused by a lack of accountability (J. Taylor, 2009). When we later realised we had borrowed too much against our homes and spent the money on consumption, we all saw that the lack of accountability was not confined to the executive corridor — it ran all the way down to the consumer. Although some fanned the flames more than others, everyone played a part.
Accountability has become a hot topic in recent years, and one key question arises: how do you create personal accountability? Accountability is a fairly new field of research, but here is what we know so far:
How to build accountability in yourself
- Pin yourself down
Since personal accountability can only arise in relation to your colleagues, it matters that you talk about your tasks. Talk about the level you want to deliver them at, and make an agreement that your colleague should follow along and weigh in without asking permission. That way you get input as you go, which helps keep you on your toes and raise your standard (E. Kandel, 1992). - Reward your colleague
Why reward a colleague for a result they were not part of? Because accountability is a subset of ownership (J. Avey, 2009). Without a stake in a task, your colleague will not feel they have the right to weigh in. Conversely, your colleague will weigh in when they feel it is needed, because they know it is welcome. Remember that, to raise your level of accountability, you need your colleague more than they need you. Even if your colleague is not actively involved, they will be an important reason you keep your standard high — and in the end that makes it all worth it for you. - Make sure everyone can follow along
Dust gathers in the corners first. It is the same with personal accountability. Your morals are rarely challenged when they are on public display. When everyone is watching, you usually know full well what the right thing to do is — what you ought to do. It is when nobody is watching that your morals are tested. That is why it matters to make your work process as visible as possible, so your colleague can easily follow your work. It matters that your colleague can follow the process without you having to present it. Your personal accountability grows when your colleague can follow along anywhere, anytime. It is always more comfortable for you if you get to decide which part of the work you want to show to whom and when — but that does not raise your level of accountability. - Look forward to the win, and fear the failure
If you are not looking forward to the future, it is probably because it does not inspire you. So you should look forward to the win — but you should also fear a possible failure. The visibility agreement with your colleague should make you feel shame towards yourself if you do not succeed. At the same time, it should give you a sense of guilt towards your colleague for not living up to your agreement. Research shows you need to expect both positive and negative feelings if you are going to succeed. Only then does personal accountability arise. Research also shows that the best combination of feelings is hope, guilt and shame. By contrast, it is not motivating if all you feel is the fear of failing (K. Passyn, 2006).
It is always more comfortable for you if you get to decide which part of the work you want to show to whom and when — but that does not raise your level of accountability.
Personal accountability is what gets you to the goal when your motivation dips — and it always does on the way towards a goal. It matters that you use all four points. If you use only one of them, it will not affect your level of personal accountability. Transparency does not do it on its own (J. Roberts, 2009). You have to back it up with a clear agreement, shared accountability among colleagues, hope and consequences. Do that, and you raise your level of personal accountability effectively — to the benefit of yourself, your colleague, your team and maybe even your family.
Sources and more inspiration
Psychological Ownership: Theoretical Extensions, Measurement and Relation to Work Outcomes
J. Avey, B. Avolio, C. Crossley & F. Luthans, 2009, Journal of Organizational Behavior
Advancing Accountability Theory and Practice
D. Frink & R. Klimoski 2004, Human Resource Management Review
The Financial Crisis and the Policy Responses: An Empirical Analysis of What Went Wrong
J. Taylor, 2009, National Bureau of Economic Research
Peer Pressure and Partnerships
E. Kandel & E. Lazear, 1992, Journal of Political Economy
Self‐Accountability Emotions and Fear Appeals: Motivating Behavior
K. Passyn & M. Sujan, 2006, Journal of Consumer Research
No One Is Perfect: The Limits of Transparency and an Ethic for ’Intelligent’ Accountability
J. Roberts, 2009, Accounting, Organizations and Society
