Tuesday, September 9, 2014

The Delusion of Accountability



In the current fast paced corporate arena, there is often a creep of new buzzwords in corporate lexicon to maximize effectiveness of businesses. One such word which is riding high on vogue is ‘Accountability’.

I've heard many managers saying “You will be held accountable”. I wonder what does “held” mean. It gives ominous feeling and not propitious.

Wikipedia says “Meaning of accountability is blameworthiness” Are people asked to be accountable to be blamed afterwards?

Yes I totally agree that if the targets or goals are not met, There will be consequences. Be it financial, growth, bonus, appreciation etc. - The end pain is real.

Hidden meaning of Accountability.

The inherent feature of this word ‘Accountability’ is fear. I've rarely heard “You are being held accountable for the success of the project”.  So whenever the accountability word is riddled out – FEAR starts. Fear of facing the consequences.
Often seen ‘Finger Pointing’ activities are common at the alleged member or team. This instigates a ‘blame-game’ or ‘pass-the-buck’.

Blame Game.jpg

To avoid such fear, entire energy starts to concentrate on the consequences of the failure vs. challenges and benefits.
How as we managers ensure that team is motivated to attack challenges with passion and alacrity then to worry about the consequences of failure?


Accountability requires Authority

Accountability_Empowerment_Blame.jpg

Anyone cannot be made/held accountable unless they are empowered with appropriate authority.
It is like asking a ‘warrior to win a battle without control over his artillery’.
I believe it is the prerogative of an individual to demand authority and control over the situation to provide desired results.

Mistakes do happen

59g-these-people-bug-the-shit-out-of-me.jpg

As Murphy said – 'Anything can go wrong will go wrong'.
Despite your meticulous plan, budget, schedule there will be challenges, situation which will make u go wrong.
Acceptance of the mistake and plan to overcome challenges are key to move on & succeed.
Often, people are bulldozed under the fear of consequences of failure (accountability) that they prance to look at options to overcome the challenges.
Creativity blooms under such situations. I've seen many people coming up with creative ideas to wrestle the elephant in the room. This can happen only if mistakes are accepted by both the parties and offered a room for change.

Is accountability top down or bottom up?

Blame Boss.jpg


I’ve never heard a subordinate saying to his boss. You will be held accountable if the goals are not met.
Partially, this is because senior members stay in adage “I know, so everyone knows”. Transparency, fairness and unambiguity of the goose we are chasing if often less known to the people working for us.
Is it fair to say only CEO is accountable for the growth of the company? (Company means profit, people, perception etc..)
If yes, they why the failure of his accountability is drilled to the bottom level (No bonus, No hike, employee reduction etc…)
If No, is everyone in the company to be HELD accountable?


To summarize,
Becoming accountable is a personal choice. It cannot be shoved under someone’s throat to be accountable. 
Motivating employees to take the ownership of the tasks and deliver desired results is more important than ‘holding accountable’.
Acceptability is more appropriate than accountability.
If responsible people are tasked for results with pursuit for excellence, accountability will take care of itself.