How to Encourage Accountability Within Your Organisation

In the workplace, accountability can be broken down into two primary categories: 

• Day-to-day work, and 

• Communication and conflict.

Holding ourselves accountable for day-to-day work means communicating about projects, our role within the projects, triumphs and failures, and steps to improve in the future.

Holding ourselves accountable during communication and conflict is slightly more nuanced, and it involves owning our failures, communicating about them openly, and providing a genuine apology if necessary. 

Day-to-day work

Holding ourselves accountable for day-to-day work means taking responsibility for our projects and assigned work. 

Those who hold themselves accountable tend to communicate frequently about their work status, what they are doing to meet deadlines and targets, and how their projects will affect other teams. They take full responsibility when they don't achieve their goals.

Communication and conflict

When managing conflict, accountability in the workplace is more challenging. Part of holding ourselves accountable for workplace failures means we must learn how to deliver a genuine apology. 

What happens in a workplace without accountability?

If your employees aren't held accountable for failures such as missing deadlines or unsatisfactory work, it tells them that you think these behaviours are acceptable. Important information begins slipping through the cracks, and the quality of work gradually decreases. 

In addition, if employees aren't held accountable during a conflict, communication between teams will erode. Departments become more siloed, meetings become harder to schedule, and projects take longer to finish. 

Three steps to encourage accountability in the workplace

1. Foster an environment of trust

First, let's find out how people are motivated. There are two main types of motivation: extrinsic motivation & intrinsic motivation.

Extrinsic motivation is when someone is motivated by factors beyond their enjoyment of the work to achieve their goal. For instance, an employee feels pressured to finish a project, afraid of losing their job. Employees who do not feel secure at their jobs are unlikely to hold themselves accountable for errors out of fear.

Intrinsic motivation is when an employee is motivated by their internal compass to accomplish a goal. An example is an employee staying late to finish a project because they believe it is crucial to both the company and customers. 

By fostering an environment based on trust, we open up lines of communication so employees can admit their mistakes and shortcomings more openly. 

The crucial part of accountability is not penalising employees every time they make a mistake. Instead, we should encourage them to hold themselves accountable without the extrinsic pressure of punishment.

2. Set clear goals and follow up

Accountability is only possible when employees understand what they are accountable for. They require clearly defined expectations.

To set goals, managers should start by clearly communicating how their team as a whole will be held accountable. At the beginning of the year, identify your company's objectives and then evaluate how exactly your team will participate in reaching those goals.

Once your employees clearly understand what goals they're accountable for, managers should create measurable goals for individual members that align with their roles. Every employee should have defined metrics to report on every month to decide whether they deliver on their commitments.

Then, leaders should prioritise ongoing communication about how everybody's personal contributions and successes affect the company's achievements. Set up weekly meetings with the team to follow up on their individual progress. 

Every individual goal should fit into the company's bigger picture, so your team should better understand how they collectively work toward your company's goals after every meeting.

3. Teach your team members the right way to apologise

Being accountable for your actions requires honest and open communication. Ensure that your employees know how to hold themselves accountable by issuing a genuine apology. It will go far to encourage accountability in the workplace. 

Here are the guidelines each employee should take when issuing an apology:

• Do not give excuses. When apologising for any workplace conflict, start by avoiding excuses. Accountability means genuinely owning up to your mistakes, and making excuses distracts from the apology.

• Own the results. A sincere apology includes actual ownership of the mistake. For instance, instead of saying, "I'm sorry you were upset that I missed this deadline," try saying, "I'm sorry I missed this deadline." This type of accountability ensures that the employee knows their part in the conflict and will take future action to avoid this mistake.

• Truly listen. Encourage employees to listen to what their colleagues say without focusing on what they want to say in response. It ensures they genuinely listen to the other party and understand their points instead of turning their attention inward. Team members should let others finish their thoughts before jumping in. 

• Outline the next steps. The fundamental part of issuing an effective apology is to outline the corrective steps to fix the situation. These steps should be particular, timely, and attainable. For instance, if an employee has not replied to the last three emails a colleague sent, they must assure their colleague that they will reply promptly moving forward.

Accountability in the workplace is a marathon. It takes time and practice to set, and it starts with you. 

With these three critical steps in mind, you can create an environment based on trust, where your employees can hold themselves and each other accountable for their actions and goals. This way, your organisation is set up for success in the long run.

Source: Fond

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