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DISCLAIMER: The principles and suggestions in this workbook and seminar are presented to apply to diverse personal and company situations. These materials and the overall seminar are for general informational and educational purposes only. The materials and the seminar, in general, are presented with the understanding that Pryor Learning, Inc. is not engaged in rendering legal advice. You should always consult an attorney with any legal issues.
Understand the Difference Between Responsibility and Accountability
Personal Ownership – A sense of self-governance that inspires personal investment in and engagement with a project or process
Responsibility – A sphere of duty or obligation; work assignments given to a person consistent with that person’s skillset, position, function, or work.
Accountability – A combination of responsibility and ownership
Accountability provides the most desirable combination of ownership and responsibility to understand responsibilities, take them seriously, and maintain ownership.
Identify the Difference
1. Jill is confused about some elements of a project. It feels like it’s falling behind, but she’s not sure how to goabout fixing it because there are too many unknowns. To whom was it really assigned? For what elements iseach person responsible? What are the due dates and dependencies? Jill goes to her supervisor to get theanswers she needs, and to make sure she is not the one who has dropped the ball or missed the mark.
What trait is Jill demonstrating?
What facts led you to that conclusion?
2. The Custom Widgets team has been tasked with completing a report on the number of requests for customwidget development proposals received in the past quarter, the number of proposals that had been convertedto actual orders, the number of man-hours expended on proposal and design development, and the revenuegenerated from the projects. The report is due in three days, but when questioned about the report’s status,each team member acknowledges that the project is behind, and explains the reason for the delay byidentifying specific components he/she did not receive from fellow team members that would have made itpossible to complete his/her part of the project.
Is this an example of Accountability or Responsibility?
What facts led you to that conclusion?
Accountability is taken and bestowed.“You are responsible for finishing this assignment.”
Responsibility is bestowed and Ownership is taken.“I really want this project to succeed.”
1. Think of who you consider responsible.2. Describe them to the person sitting next to you.3. List traits and behaviors that illustrate that person’s sense of responsibility.
1. Think of someone who is effective in holding people accountable (or at holding you accountable).2. Describe them to your partner.3. What techniques do they use to make sure people do their jobs?
Lay the Foundation for Accountability
Which phrases demonstrate accountability?
Place a checkmark next to the phrases that illustrate accountable behavior.
To effectively hold someone accountable, there must be standards of acceptable performance or behavior. These standards are the foundation of business ethics.
Morals: The fundamental principles that govern what a society believes is right or wrong.Ethics: Rules that govern the behaviors permitted by a group
Morals Ethics
Stealing from others is wrong Burglary statutes, company policies against theft, etc…
Understanding Your Organization’s Areas of Accountability:
Area of Focus Why Your Organization Values It (Moral Statement)
Establishing a Hierarchy of Accountability Standards
How do you decide what to do when two accountability standards are in conflict and seem to demand different actions? You should be able to look to a hierarchy of ethics that will guide your decision-making.
Sherri is Production Manager for a national retail chain with 400 stores. The chain is getting ready to launch a huge seasonal event, and Sherri’s job is to make sure each store has all the promotional material necessary for a successful sale. Two weeks before the sale starts, Sherri receives word that a custom-made premium product has a slight imperfection. It’s not enough to ruin the item, but it violates the company’s high quality standards Scrapping the products and remanufacturing a new supply will take longer than two weeks. Customers have already received emails inviting them to come and get the premium product, and failing to provide the promised item violates the company’s strong commitment to customer service. There are enough of the damaged items to last each store about two weeks.
Using the hierarchy of standards shown on the screen, what should Sherri’s course of action be?
Accountability is impossible without clear standards and expectations. Do not presume that your employees know what is expected of them.
Tangible Standards
Clear, Concise and Measurable
Intangible Standards
Much more difficult to quantify. Needs to be explained. Use ____________________ to describe. Requires ____________________ - requires the supervisor to remove emotion from the review. As difficult as it is to clearly define, the best supervisors are those who find ways to hold people accountable for attitudes and intangible performance.
Numerical standards Physical standards
• Attendance • Quality benchmarks
• Sales • Customer satisfaction scores
• Products produced • Durability reports
• Training modules completed •
• •
Monetary standards Time management standards
• Profit margins • Getting things done on time
• Bank ratios • Doing things in the least amount of time
You can increase employee engagement by understanding what motivates people. Simply expecting them to “do the right thing” is a recipe for failure because each person has different reasons for doing what they do.
Incentive/Reward Gain Loss
All motivation can be reduced to the power of loss and the power of gain. People do something because the fear the consequence of not doing it (loss) or they desire the benefit of doing it (gain).
Determine which of the two basic motivations describe the incentives you listed above.
Motivation
GAIN
LOSS
In groups of 3-4 people, list as many different types of incentives as you can.
Loss Aversion – “The fear of loss is twice as powerful as the prospect of gain.”
“Don’t blame others for your mistakes.” _________________________________________________________________________________________
What are some other “don’t do” instructions managers give employees?
LB & NT Reviews
Focus on performance, rather than personality.“Great job on the warehouse. What I liked best was the way you jumped right in and got the job done.”
Describe something that could be done differently next time. “Next time, please take time to inform others of the changes you’re making to avoid confusion.”
Most managers use all three approaches as needed. Use this chart to help you think intentionally about your own work scenarios and how you hold people accountable in each.
Use this form as a starting point and create something that works best for you and your organization.
Setting Up Accountability Systems
Reprimanding or criticizing an employee for not properly completing an unclear assignment is counter-productive. Successful managers take time at the start of an assignment to fully explain expectations.
Assignment Accountability Review
Non-specific, big-picture description
Assigned by: Assigned to: Date:
Specific end result desired Specific end result obtained
Reviewed on Observation/action
Reviewed on Observation/action
Reviewed on Observation/action
Reviewed on Observation/action
Tools/resources needed
Reason for the assignment Reason for the assignment
PhysicalAction: Chance to “recharge” every 90-minutes Impact: 30% higher levels of concentration and a 50% boost in capacity to think creatively
EmotionalAction: Create an impression of a caring and appreciative supervisor/manager Impact: Retention and loyalty. Workers that feel valued are 130% more likely to stay with the
organization
MentalAction: Allow workers to focus on one thing at a timeImpact: Workers are 50% more engaged and achieved MORE in less time
PurposeAction: Give employees more opportunities to do more of what they do bestImpact: Improved job satisfaction and engagement
CASE STUDYSherry is a receptionist in a pediatrician’s office. Last week she broke into tears at the front desk after observing a parent in the waiting room scolding a child who was clearly not feeling well. Sherry was embarrassed by the outburst and had to leave her desk.
• How might this have impacted Sherry’s coworkers?
• How did Sherry’s absence impact her role?
• Identify the result of Sherry’s poison. How could Sherry anticipate this reaction in the future?
Identify the potential poison and solution to the observed behavior.