5 Strategies to Create a Culture of Accountability in the Workplace

These 5 Simple Steps Will Significantly Improve your Culture of Accountability

Accountability is a topic covered in basic management courses. Unfortunately, there seems to be a burgeoning gap between theory and practice when it comes to this concept. Recent surveys suggest 40 percent of employees in US organizations are not held accountable for results. This is a dismal statistic, especially considering issues to do with accountability in the workplace can negatively impact employee morale.

There are five strategies organizations can use to ensure accountability is instilled as a core element of company culture.

How to Create Accountability

Companies often talk issues to death. There is a huge focus on critical problems, but no solid agreement on corrective actions and no direct line of accountability. Talk is great, but it doesn't accomplish anything if the following actions don't occur:

Determine and agree upon corrective actions
Inform and hold responsible parties accountable
Turn strategy into specific objectives
Establish clear objectives in any plan of action

In order to do this, it is necessary to:

Clarify priorities
Create specific department goals

Having clear department goals will enable employees to develop individual goals. This will enhance accountability and lead to a successful implementation of any plans of action.

In order for plans of action to be successful, everyone must be on the same page. Coordinating plans of action leads to:

Improved collective focus on company goals
Successful execution of plans

Monitoring activity and the progress towards objectives is an essential ingredient in creating a culture of accountability. Successful leaders:

Monitor goals
Reinforce appropriate actions and behaviors

Maintaining an open and ongoing dialogue between leadership and subordinates is crucial in ensuring appropriate communication is occurring on all levels. In order to be successful communicators, management must consider these two factors:

Goal setting and coaching are key elements in inspiring optimum performance
Performance management is a tool to drive desirable results

Managers who keep this in mind ensure that they are creating a culture of accountability.

Improve Accountability in Business

Management can’t expect employees to trust and follow them if they can’t:

Support the same values and priorities they require from others
Model appropriate behavior
Take swift & appropriate action when expectations aren’t met

Creating a culture of accountability isn’t easy. It takes time to implement and it involves hard work to maintain. However, a culture of accountability is one of the best ways to ensure success in business and boost employee morale.

For Employers