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We’ve all heard the adage about the tree falling in the forest. An equivalent for the workplace could be: if a project fails because one person didn’t do their work, did the project happen at all?
Accountability is a critical component of any successful collaboration. When team members share a common goal and have a clear view of their respective responsibilities, it lays the groundwork for positive project outcomes. So, what can team leaders — as well as individual team members — do to encourage a sense of accountability before starting a collaborative project?
Self-Scoring and Team Evaluations
Deb Mashek, a Reworked contributor and principal of Myco Consulting, advocates for self-scoring and team evaluations. By taking note of what employees think of themselves (and what they think of each other), team leaders can see what matches up… and what doesn’t.
“Take note when there's not a lot of agreement among raters about someone's contributions.” Mashek said. “This could be because an individual overvalues their contribution or because someone else is trying to undercut that value. Note, too, that individuals are not always able to see the real contributions they make to a group because those contributions may have come easily.”
Collective agreement on who performed well — or divisive ratings about certain team member performances — enables you to see how a team is truly working together, for better or worse. This can help leaders identify a number of things such as unequal participation among team members and how each member views themselves. If, for example, an employee gave themselves a high score while the rest of the group rated them poorly, there is clearly some dissonance that needs to be addressed.
Accountability Partners
As a collaboration expert and director of research at Collabworks, David Coleman understands the inner workings of team dynamics. To encourage accountability, he recommends assigning accountability partners.
“One of the best workplace paradigms is establishing an accountability partner,” he said in an interview with Reworked. “Having someone to check in with regularly — to make sure tasks are moving forward — benefits both teams and partners. However, this is additional work, which means every group member must be willing to put in some extra effort.”
He believes project management tools can also foster accountability. Data and statistics, for instance, can help group members keep track of what’s completed, pending or overdue from either themselves or their partners. The caveat, he warned, is that relying solely on project statistics isn't the best way to run a team because it reduces its members to numbers. Evaluating people based on outcomes is far less productive than evaluation through process.
Coleman also suggests holding goal-setting meetings. A regular (or semi-regular) get-together where people talk about their project expectations and target goals helps build trust among employees, which, in turn, bolsters accountability.
Related Article: How Leaders Can Clear the Path to Collaboration
Why Accountability Matters
Accountability makes teams thrive. According to a Harvard study, accountability directly correlates to team-level performance, with higher levels of accountability (attained through both self and peer scoring) leading to better, more efficient results.
Additionally, through accountability, team members are more likely to develop a shared understanding of team and project goals, and even more so when their environment supports and celebrates teamwork.
Coleman’s main piece of advice when it comes to constructing an open, welcoming team environment is: “don’t be Big Brother.” An uncommunicative, authoritarian workspace will only make team members hesitant to take on responsibilities — or be more prone to push their mistakes onto others.
Related Article: Measuring Productivity in the Digital Age: New Metrics for a New Era
From Me to We
Maureen Ennis, the founder of Thrive and a contributor for Reworked, follows a “me-to-we” mentality. Under this model, she advocates for a team-wide network that stems with the individual and branches out to incorporate their colleagues. She said a shared interconnectivity is the foundation of an accountable team, which is why leaders must initiate this through forging connections.
“As we move farther from command-and-control managers in the digital world, it's impossible for a manager to keep everyone accountable.” Ennis explained. “Self-accountability and guardrails are needed for any team to thrive.”
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In her experience, it’s best to find something that makes people want to work together. It’s easier for people to fill commitments not for the company but for the sake of those they work with. After all, an organization is, for most, a faceless conglomerate, but what makes up that company are living, breathing people. Finding a common goal makes teamwork more collaborative while upholding accountability.
“Big impact teams don't want to let each other down. Convening around a shared challenge, asking questions like, ‘What can I do to make a difference?’ or ‘How can I make the work of my peers easier?’ connects the individual to the group.” Ennis said. “You can't have accountability until people are vulnerable enough to make commitments.”
This sort of mentality helps people in various roles without formal incentives feel responsible for one another. Incentives don’t always have to be about tangible rewards or recognition. According to Ennnis, the most productive teams are also the most accountable and empathetic — and fostering empathy goes hand in and hand with responsibility.
