ACCEPTED ACCOUNTABILITY: Managing People in the New Business Climate

Chapter 5 Accepted Accountability

"Understanding is the first step to acceptance Harry Potter & The Goblet of Fire, J. K. Rowling

You may ask, Isnt all accountability accepted? After all, one cannot be accountable unless they accept the responsibilities associated with an assignment, right? When an assignment is made to an employee and they accept that assignment, dont they automatically also accept everything that goes along with the responsibility for completing the assignment: results, timeliness, and the quality of the work? Or is this just an assumption we have been making all along?

Accepted vs. Assigned

To understand accountability, lets first divide it into two basic types: assigned accountability and accepted accountability. Yes, at first glance, there is a bit of overlap between these two groups, certainly from the viewpoint of the manager delegating a task or project based on accountabilitys traditional usage and meaning. However, if we look at these two types of accountability from the receivers point-of-view, there is a distinct difference. Accountability First, we need to agree to a shared understanding of the word and concept of accountability itself. Dictionaries tell us that accountability is essentially a responsibility one has to someone for an activity. And Lee Harvey defines accountability as the requirement, when undertaking an activity, to expressly address the concerns, requirements or perspectives of others.1 This responsibility could be to a supervisor, manager, the government, a trade organization, an employer, a contracting party, or just to ones self.

Copyright 2009 - All Rights Reserved - Ron Price & F. William King

Too often in everyday practice, accountability takes on myriad definitions. Each of us have our own variation of what accountability means, but it is very common for much of our own definition to be assumed rather than communicated. We all have different standards for what we believe to represent the successful completion of a project. Unfortunately, we assume, to our detriment, everyone else thinks like we do and applies the same value system we would to any task. Assigned Accountability Accountability is also linked very closely to how performance is evaluated and the possible rewards or repercussions that result from our evaluation. Unless accountability is clearly defined in the delegation and fully understood and accepted by the person to whom the assignment is made, what you have is just that an assignment that carries with it assigned accountability. You can make all the assignments you want, but unless you have clearly defined just exactly how outcomes are to be inspected and what rewards or punishments can be expected, it is not likely you will gain accepted accountability. Figure 5-1 illustrates how differently assigned accountability and accepted accountability can be viewed by an employee. Okay, so we may have exaggerated some and stacked the deck in favour of accepted accountability, but Figure 5-1 gives some insight into how an employee could possibly react to an assignment for which his or her acceptance was not sought or gained. Sam, I want you to find a way to increase production in Unit 4 by 15 percent by the end of the quarter. I dont want excuses why this cant be done; just get it done. If you cant do it, Ill find somebody else who can! How do you think Sam would react to this assignment? How would you? We have all been on either the giving or receiving end (or both) of this type of directive at some point in our careers. What do you think the results are likely to be? In the short-run? In the long-run? The manager is likely under pressure his or her boss to achieve these results or is looking for some form of reward at the end of the quarter when his or her results are
Copyright 2009 - All Rights Reserved - Ron Price & F. William King

ACCEPTED ACCOUNTABILITY: Managing People in the New Business Climate

inspected. At the heart of this assignment is the managers belief and trust that Sam can accomplish the desired results, which is why Sam is receiving the assignment. There is really nothing wrong with the delegation the manager has made to Sam: Sam has been given the assignment to increase production in Unit 4 by 15 percent; not necessarily an unreasonable or even uncommon type of assignment. The manager likely believes that he or she is complimenting Sam by recognizing Sams capabilities as a supervisor and a can-do person. Sam should be proud to be given this responsibility. While this may be true in the mind of the manager, somehow it was lost in the message. The problem lies in the way the assignment was made.

Figure 1: The words associated with Assigned and Accepted Accountabilities reflect how an employee can view these two types of accountabilities.
Copyright 2009 - All Rights Reserved - Ron Price & F. William King

What do you think Sam heard? What Sam actually heard depends on a variety of factors: some job-related and some not. In a situation like this, we must assume that the manager and Sam have some history and this isnt the first time Sam has received this type of direction. If this is the managers style of delegation, Sam would know how to interpret the managers instructions. But, what did Sam actually hear?

On your own, develop a plan of action Increase production in Unit 4 by 15 percent The manager doesnt care about any reasons this may not be possible If your plan fails, it will be solely your fault and you will be out of a job

Action Item: Looking back at Figure 5-1, what type of accountability is Sam been given? Which of the words from the assigned accountability column apply to this situation?

Accepted Accountability The foundation for gaining an employees acceptance of the accountability for an assignment is the manner in the way the assignment is given. As was the case in the situation above, shooting from the hip, knee-jerk instructions, or using any other anatomy-based euphemism for giving assignments is not the way to gain an employees acceptance. Would Sam have a different reaction and feeling about the assignment if the manager had considered the acceptance, inspection, and rewards of the assignment before speaking with Sam? Sam, we need to get more production out of Unit 4. Id like you to come up with a plan to increase the production of Unit 4 by 15 percent by the end of the quarter. We need to identify anything that would prevent this from happening and include how we resolve them in your plan. Im counting on you for this. Send me your plan by the end of the week. List the action items, a time table, and any necessary resources youll need to

Copyright 2009 - All Rights Reserved - Ron Price & F. William King

ACCEPTED ACCOUNTABILITY: Managing People in the New Business Climate

reach your goal. Id also like weekly reports on your progress. Im giving you this assignment because I believe you can do it.

References
Harvey, Lee., 2004, Analytic Quality Glossary, Quality Research International, http://www.qualityresearchinternational.com/glossary/

Copyright 2009 - All Rights Reserved - Ron Price & F. William King