Top tips for creating an accountable workforce
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TOP TIPS FOR CREATING AN ACCOUNTABLE WORKFORCE
Accountability is the bedrock of the communities in which we live. But accountability isn’t about retribution. The process of holding yourself and your colleagues accountable can be inspiring.
In business, leaders hold the key to instilling accountability in their teams. Good leaders must embrace the benefits of accountability, to create cohesive teams that deliver quality outcomes.
But changes to how and where we ‘do work’ has created an increasingly fragmented workforce. Are leaders becoming out of touch with exactly how to hold others accountable?
Workplace leaders must evolve their practices to support remote, hybrid, and cross-border teams. In this blog, we review why accountability is essential at work. Our experts also suggest ways that leaders can re-instil this value in their teams.
What is accountability at work?
Accountability in the workforce requires employees to be responsible for their actions, decisions, behaviours and performance. Accountability requires that individuals:
- Feel a sense of ownership of the projects assigned to them.
- Keep commitments to colleagues.
- Use initiative to overcome problems.
- Meet deadlines and support colleagues to do the same.
Why is accountability important for a team?
Accountable teams are based on a solid foundation of trust. This foundation is supported by open communication, transparency between individuals and strong leadership. Reliable teams are good news for leaders. Periodic check-ins can replace micromanaging. Leaders can trust an accountable team to strive towards clear goals, even when no one is watching.
With a team who takes care of themselves, leaders can refocus energy into other projects. Accountability at work creates an environment in which trust is mutual. Mutual trust has far-reaching benefits for both the employer and employee.
Why does accountability in the workplace matter?
Accountability is essential to thrive in a candidate-driven market
A talent supply shortage has adjusted the relationship between leaders and employees. The balance of power has shifted firmly in favour of prospective and current employees. Leaders need to think beyond financial incentives to attract talent and consider:
- Working styles within their organisation.
- Their company culture and purpose.
- Whether to offer their workforce greater autonomy.
Increasingly, individuals seeking new challenges are favouring roles that offer scope to work flexibly. Employees seek the freedom to make and learn from mistakes and to hone their skillsets.
Candidates are now holding CEOs accountable for their actions
The ESG credentials of organisations are under scrutiny from candidates. CEOs are increasingly being held accountable in their pledges to political and societal movements. Accountability in leadership requires real action towards sustainability and diversity, equity and inclusion.
To attract top talent in this market, effective leaders must demonstrate their accountability, by:
- Showing empathy.
- Proactively reporting on progress.
- Committing to long-term, meaningful change.
Building trust can improve performance as well as profit
Research illustrates how teams thrive when given a strong sense of personal ownership and accountability. This workplace structure forges trust amongst teams, encouraging communication, constructive feedback and collaboration in the face of challenges.
As a leader, you need to showcase your investment in the success of the team. Holding colleagues accountable involves encouraging them to hit ambitious project milestones. Your support can inspire greater accountability amongst individuals.
How to build accountable teams: Four top tips
1. Connect your team with a clear purpose
To create accountability within teams, you need to define a shared purpose. A definite purpose or vision acts as a beacon for your teams to strive towards. Focus on creating a culture in which team members know where they have permission to operate, and where they do not.
Help your team to understand the ‘why’ behind their work:
- Why does it matter?
- Why am I doing this?
A clear purpose can also aid complex decision making. Help your team to make decisions that closely align with the values of the organisation. Champion innovative thinking over ‘business-as-usual'. By inspiring your workforce, you can also position your organisation to meet changing customer needs.
2. Reimagine your understanding of failure
Leaders need to find ways to increase the speed with which teams can respond to problems or changes in the environment. Reducing cumbersome layers of management simplifies processes whilst increasing autonomy for your team. Without a complex company hierarchy, individuals are more accountable for their decisions, including their mistakes.
A successful streamlining process requires leaders to foster a culture where a team accepts, and even welcomes, failure. Achieve this workplace culture of accountability by:
- Building a psychological ‘safe space’: Create an environment in which individuals feel more confident taking calculated risks.
- Promoting opportunities for continuous learning and development: Champion the soft skills needed to cope with failure, including problem solving, emotional intelligence and communication.
- Celebrating second place: Projects should be ambitious, pushing individuals to deliver results. As a leader, you need to take the time to praise those who worked hard to get you close to the mark, even if you didn’t ‘make it over the line'.
3. Create closed-loop communication
We are all guilty of using corporate jargon. It can seem more constructive to tell a team to ‘think outside the box’ than bluntly to request a more imaginative solution. But jargon can confuse or dilute your brief. Stating that a project must be completed to the ‘highest standard’ fails to define your expectations clearly.
A lack of clarity creates accountability gaps. Teams may falter if they are unsure of their goals and responsibilities.
To overcome these gaps, we suggest an idea from the medical world known as ‘closed-loop communication’. Closed-loop communication has been proven to reduce error rates by removing ambiguity from instructions:
- A dedicated team leader outlines a task and assigns a specific individual.
- As part of the brief, the leader defines clear aims for the project. They must also identify which team members responsible for each element and the expected timescales.
- The assigned individuals must acknowledge the request and repeat the instruction to demonstrate understanding.
- The assignees must also state when the task is complete, thus closing the loop.
Clear communication holds team members accountable to a shared set of expectations, increasing the likelihood of successful project delivery.
4. Recruit people who will accept responsibility
Accountability cannot be manufactured for every employee. You must strive to attract intrinsically motivated talent. Seek applicants who hold themselves accountable to personal and professional goals.
Your recruitment process plays a fundamental role here. Dedicated talent acquisition specialists can help to connect, engage and onboard the right people. Leaders should recruit for people who:
- Believe in your company mission.
- Align with your purpose.
- Are eager to deliver high-quality results.
Once these individuals are within your organisation, take the time to understand what makes them ‘tick’, including:
Their communication style: Make sure you understand how individuals would like to engage. Confirm how often they feel it is necessary to check-in with you.
What gets them out of bed in the morning: Each employee will have a distinct set of driving forces. You need to understand what it is that pushes your team towards peak performance. You can then build a suitable reward system.
Their innate strengths: Managers who understand ‘what comes naturally’ can position teams for success. Draw on a variety of complimentary skillsets to deliver high-quality results.
What challenges are affecting accountability for leaders and their teams?
Effective communication has become a concern for many organisations. There are fears that the widespread shift to hybrid and remote working has exacerbated these challenges. Despite the numerous software solutions available, some leaders feel unable to hold their teams accountable from afar. Without a central office to bring team members together, there are fears that leaders have lost visibility.
As organisations increasingly source from wider talent pools, leaders must become more confident in their teams than ever. Trust and accountability are essential when operating across borders and time zones.
Do the leadership qualities and traits we value most need to evolve?
To create a culture of accountability across a team there must also be accountability in leadership. As a result, the role of business leaders as we know it needs to change. Leading with authenticity and demonstrating empathy are now more crucial than ever.
Leaders also need to be agile and embrace flexibility. Flexible working patterns are here to stay. So, leaders need to become confident in managing remote and hybrid teams effectively. Demanding that teams return to the office in the name of increasing accountability is not a long-term solution.
The benefits of accountability in the workplace: Helping organisations thrive
Modern day workforce trends represent an opportunity to forge truly accountable teams. True accountability shouldn’t be hindered by borders, time zones or screens.
Leaders must create a foundation for accountability, outlining a strong purpose and setting clear expectations. Alongside, hiring managers must recruit ambitious individuals who will seek to hold themselves accountable. By adapting to meet employee expectations, leaders can encourage high-performing teams to form and thrive.
Speak to one of our workforce strategy experts to find out how you can attract, recruit and retain top talent.