How Can We Make
Workers Accountable?

  What does accountability mean? How can a manager motivate his employees to be accountable for their actions?

Signed,

The Accountant

  Dear Accountant:

Accountability is when employees take ownership of their actions. There is no one thing you can say to make people more accountable, it must be part of the workplace culture. In the past bosses attempted to make workers more accountable by closely monitoring their work and behavior. This trend has returned again with the advent and application of inconspicuous electronic surveillance equipment. When a worker is caught stealing or loafing on video there is little doubt that he or she has been held accountable. However, studies have shown that close monitoring of workers only serves to drive more behavior underground and makes people less likely to ask for help for fear of being seen as incompetent.

Accountability must be part of the overall culture of the workplace. By seeing accountability as a positive value, you can begin to motivate employees by holding them accountable not only for their mistakes but also for their successes. For example, try to stimulate accountability by casting the early admission of mistakes as a positive. Try to get your workers to move from the statement by Worker One to the statement by Worker Two (below) by praising workers for early detection of problems.

• Worker One (to self): Damn, I botched that database file. Maybe there is some way to make it look like someone else did so I don't get blamed. 
  
• Worker Two (to supervisor): I think I may have done something wrong with the database and now I need help in solving the problem. I am sorry for my mistake but I wanted to let you know as soon as possible so we could work it out.

Both workers botched the database in the same way but which would you want to work for you? Ask yourself, how can my communication behavior facilitate statements like that Worker Two rather than those by Worker One? Encourage and reward workers to be forthcoming with problems by praising them not only for their successes but also for their successes in dealing with their failures. Of course if a worker is stealing or burns down your plant, the axe must fall. But most failures in the workplace are not that serious and ownership of such failures should not be met with undue punishment or ridicule.  

Instituting teamwork is another way to stimulate a culture of accountability. When more people are involved on projects there is less opportunity for an individual to cover mistakes and more opportunity for correction through collaboration. Team members are less likely to hang another team member out to dry or twist in the wind alone when the project, process, or bottom line is owned by the whole team.

WEGO finds accountability through shared ownership.

--Dan West

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