Responsibility is accepting responsibility for one’s own actions. It’s a basic part of any work culture, but many don’t know how to make it work. The most common way to ensure accountability is to assign a system of monitoring, feedback, and rewards to each employee to allow them to set the goals they want to achieve.
People who are responsible for their actions have no reason to act differently. They have no incentive to perform other than the rewards that come from reaching goals. Accountability is a form of enforcement, but it is not enough in the long run. The goal of any good company is for each member of its workforce to have a reason to work hard for the company. Current accountability system commonly used in most workplaces as a way to avoid bad clients.
Responsibility in the workplace What it means
The concept of responsibility has two different definitions that are mainly used in the business world. The first definition is the responsibility of an individual to achieve certain goals within a certain time frame. Other definition is the process of holding an individual accountable for her actions. In our workplace, accountability means that everyone involved in the process must have access to the information they need and must be accountable for their decisions and actions.
If everyone in the workplace is held accountable for their actions, more people will be willing to take responsibility for completing milestones. Responsibility means that people are encouraged to work hard not because they have to, but because they want to. Everyone in the company must know what is expected of them, who decides whether they will meet expectations, and what will happen as a result of their actions.
Consequences of lack of responsibility at work
Without proper responsibility at work, employees have no incentive to work. This results in an ineffective work culture where people work at less than 100 percent. Another negative effect of accountability is that workplaces can be stressful. Depending on the type of workplace culture, it can be difficult for everyone to have common goals when everyone is responsible for their own actions. Although it is easy for a company to develop high standards, it is not always easy for employees to meet those standards.
One of the biggest problems with accountability in the workplace is that it can be a negative approach. Often companies will hold an employee accountable for missing targets without explaining why or providing feedback. This creates friction and anxiety among employees and causes them to perform below their potential. Accountability should always be carried out in a positive way because it will negatively affect the culture of the company if it is not.
How accountability can become an integral part of office culture
1. Start with yourself:
You must be the first person to judge yourself, the first person to hold yourself accountable. Start with the assumption that you are part of the problem, not part of the solution. If you want to build a culture of responsibility in your company, act as if it already exists. When things go wrong, don’t cover it up by accusing others of not being responsible enough. Be the one looking for ways to provide guidance and feedback to your team.
2. Set team goals:
When setting team goals, be sure to set goals based on the results you want to achieve. You don’t want to create a list of tasks that aren’t relevant to your team. The purpose of setting team goals is not to create a to-do list, but to make it matter to your company as a whole. Try to set goals that are achievable but challenging so that they can be used as benchmarks in the future.
3. Improve your feedback skills:
Focus on the feedback you give your team members. For example, if a person is doing something wrong, ask him why he is doing it that way. Ask them to describe their process so you understand why they made that decision. Then use that information as a basis for giving feedback to point you in the right direction. When you better understand your team members, you can provide real, constructive feedback instead of just pointing out mistakes.
Conclusion
Accountability is the key to creating a self-motivated culture of hard work that will fuel a leader’s success. Accountability is not something that can be imposed on people through punishment, but it can be enforced enough that everyone wants it. First, you need to lead by example and hold yourself accountable. It starts with you as the leader and your own responsibility. If you’re trying to make the company more accountable, make sure you’re also going through the accountability process at work.
Categories: How to
Source: HIS Education