Practice 1: Begin With a Focus on Results Being Sought Effective accountability

Question

Practice 1: Begin With a Focus on Results Being Sought

Effective accountability means that there is a clear understanding of the results being sought throughout

the entire organization. This requires intense thought and ongoing dialogue about what the organization’s

purpose is, and what it is trying to achieve. It starts with a clear understanding of the overall mission of

the organization and then cascades down into performance standards expected for each and every

individual within that organization. Without asking the question as to “what is wanted” before deciding

how to do it, organizational members who act without full knowledge of the results required may work

harder but accomplish less.

Accompanying this clarity on results is the clarity of the goals being sought. Sometimes, organizational

goals are ambiguous and unenforceable, what some call “resolutions.” While resolutions may sound good,

the actions required are often not clear and the results being sought can be up to interpretation. Clear

goals, on the other hand, specify what is desired and by when. And when individuals commit to clear

goals, positive outcomes emerge.

Practice 2: Assign Responsibility for Results to Everyone in the Organization

If your organization has difficulty assigning responsibility for results, consider responsibility charting.

This technique is essentially a matrix with results desired in one column, and individuals in an

organizational unit in the other columns. Matrix entries specify who is responsible for what and, if

possible, when results are expected. With this relatively simple approach, responsibility and clarity is

much more clear, especially if there is a review of the results achieved when compared with the results

desired.

But not all responsibility can be assigned in advance. Sometimes individuals volunteer to be accountable

for certain results in special circumstances. Stories are an effective tool for eliciting volunteers to become

more accountable, particularly when the story involves a previous member of the organization who

overcame overwhelming odds to deliver extraordinary results. Success stories are part of every culture,

and success stories about accountability help to make the culture more accountable as well as encourage

volunteerism.

In your attempt to be clear about responsibility, effective communication is essential. Sometimes leaders

know exactly what they want, but they don’t communicate clearly what is desired. Sometimes leaders have

a vague idea of what is wanted and dialogue needs to be conducted with subordinates to help clarify

matters. When the dialogue is open, candid, and informal, clarity ensues and accountability results.

Practice 3: Leaders Should Demonstrate the Behaviors That Align With the

Proposed Change

Culture change starts and gains momentum with changed behavior on the part of the leaders of that

organization or organizational unit. Nothing kills a change initiative faster than leaders who espouse

certain behaviors and attitudes, but demonstrate different ones. For example, if a leader announces the

importance of controlling costs more carefully, but then he or she arranges for a lavish executive retreat or

decorates his or her office in excessive ways, the rest of the organization takes notice. Hence, leaders need

to exercise care in the behaviors they exhibit.

In addition, leaders need to be careful as to behaviors that they tolerate. If results are being stressed and

their subordinate does not deliver results, then there needs to be demonstrable consequences. This

applies to both meeting the numbers and behaving consistently with the organization’s values. Indeed, it

has been observed that if a nonperformer gets high enough in the organizational hierarchy and is not held

accountable, that person can literally destroy the organization.

Practice 4: Measure the Right Performance Standards and Do It Rigorously

It is a skill to link desired results and goals with standards and metrics of performance. If a performance

standard is done well, achievement of that standard will realize the results being sought. Designing

realistic timetables and appropriate performance standards is not easy to do well, and it is particularly

difficult for large, complicated projects. And for those change initiatives that have an extended time

horizon, intermediate milestones must be set with care. Nonetheless, rigorous standard setting is an

essential activity if an accountable culture is being sought.

Clearly, performance measures need to be balanced or else the organization risks becoming unbalanced.

Consequently, this suggests that multiple performance standards are required. However, if the

performance standards are too numerous, then assessing performance is no longer possible. Overall,

focusing on a relatively few, balanced performance standards works best for making the organization

more accountable.

When designing performance standards, it is sometimes helpful to distinguish between ends and means

standards. When the strategic goals are established and measurable, then metrics that focus on the end

result are most appropriate. However, when the strategic goals are changing and not easily measured,

then metrics that focus on the means for bringing about the change are most appropriate. In either case,

however, measurements can and should be applied.

Finally, most people assume that utilizing performance standards implies a bureaucratic organization;

however, this does not have to be the case. Accountability can be achieved in nonhierarchical

organizational structures when it comes from within the employee or is reviewed in nonbureaucratic

ways.

Practice 5: Make Sure That Cultural Artifacts Support Accountability

As discussed previously, cultural artifacts are the visible expressions of the underlying values and

assumptions that pervade an organization. When changing a culture, changing the visible artifacts makes

a conscious and unconscious impression on the organization’s members. There are at least five types of

cultural artifacts: (a) normal behavior, (b) myths and sagas, (c) language systems and metaphors, (d)

symbols, rituals, and ceremonies, and (e) physical surroundings including interior design and physical

equipment.

One cultural artifact surrounding accountability is who gets celebrated and who gets ignored. Clearly,

celebrating and promoting individuals who deliver results on time and within budget is one way to

support movement to more accountable culture. Also, individuals who don’t deliver results on time or

within budget need to be privately confronted, coached, and sometimes removed from the

organization.

The transformation of Continental Airlines is a prime example of how important changing artifacts are to

making a culture more accountable. To change behavioral norms that had been associated with low

productivity, the leaders instituted a bonus system that rewarded high levels of productivity. In order to

align the culture with the new business strategy, the leader’s next act was to reduce the corporate policy

manual from 800 pages to just 80 pages and then conduct a ritual where the former manuals were burned

by the employees. In addition, the catch phrase “from worst to first” was used to focus employees’

attention on the desired results. Whenever key milestones were achieved, corporate celebrations were

arranged. And executives were required to work on holidays so that “we are all in this together” in

Continental’s effort to become more accountable and productive. And the repainting of the jets,

renovating of the gateways, and purchasing of state-of-the-art information technology all contributed to

the turnaround initiative.

Practice 6: Discuss Assumptions Underlying Actions Dealing With Accountability

The fastest but perhaps most challenging way to change an organizational culture is to change the

assumptions underlying that culture. Since culture is the “taken-for-granted” way of doing things within an organization, this is not an easy task. However, change-capable organizations are adept at naming the

assumptions underlying organizational actions and changing those assumptions when they no longer

serve the organization.

Surfacing and debating assumptions is the means by which cultural change is achieved, and paying

attention to assumptions around accountability is a key way to make your organization more change

capable. Larry Bossidy and Ram Charan note,

Debate on assumptions is one of the most critical parts of any operating review—not just the bigpicture

assumptions but assumptions specifically linked with their effects on the business,

segment by segment, item by item. That’s a key part of what’s missing in the standard budget

review. You cannot set realistic goals until you’ve debated the assumptions behind them.

Practice 7: Make Sure That the Reward System Focuses on Accountability

A key aspect of accountability means that there are consequences to meeting or not meeting performance

standards. This suggests that the reward and recognition system need to celebrate and reward those who

consistently deliver results and develop a reputation for accountability, and it needs to confront and

punish those who consistently fail to deliver results.

Many organizations do a good job celebrating and recognizing good performance. Very few organizations

deal with nonperformers well even though this is a key process for any organization that takes

accountability seriously. Most employees like knowing where they stand in terms of performance, and the

performance evaluation system is central to making an organization accountable. It is particularly

important that the performance evaluation system is based on hitting predefined targets and standards as

much as possible. However, care must be exercised in selecting the right standards, not just those that are

easiest to measure.

In the absence of rigorously defined standards, performance evaluation becomes more focused on

nonperformance criteria. Since each organization is unique, customized reward and recognition systems

are becoming the norm for organizations seeking greater accountability. In sum, creating and maintaining a culture of accountability is essential to bring about a change-capable

organization. This does not mean that organizations need to measure everything and become more

mechanical. If thoughtfully developed, however, measurements and responsibility assignments can aid in

organizational learning and adaptability. This dimension, and the previous dimensions discussed, is

graphically depicted in.

Figure 9.1 The Seventh Dimension of Organizational Capacity for Change: Accountable Culture

Trustworthy + System Thinking + Capable Champions + Trusting followers + Communication Systems + Involved mind management + Accountable Culture= Organizational Capacity for change

Question:

You have taken over an organization where there is very low morale. The employees do not respect mid-level leaders and it is difficult to get employees to do what they are supposed to be doing. Describing how you would build a change-capable organization and accountable culture. Describe what the change would mean to you.

Please help. Greatly appreciate it and thank you :)

Explanation / Answer

Change management is a process which uses various tools and techniques to manage the human resource and their change in behaviour towards the management so that required business outcome is realized.A change capable organization's always have to keep their organizations in a state of constant change so that they are stable in any external environmental shifts or constraints. To be able to attain a sustainable change-capable organization, the management should take initaiatives and developachange centers of excellence oroffices within the organizationthat has representative from all departments who can not only lend their expert opinion from within their specific departments but also take away from the interactions with other team members on how to resolveissues in a collective manner and focus on team work as a organization and not limited to their specific unit.

A typical technology startup, would have a normal operation mode of having ability to embrace and successfully adjust to change. But imagine this startup after 5 years where systems have been already established and there are separate departments handling different things. Mid management levels have become too cynical and do not welcome the suggestions of the juniors or nw comers. There is often a lack of communication between levels and so the company is suffereing from low morale and this is affecting their productivity. Earlier when it was just a startup, each employee was well equipped to keep the company on its tracks and to achievethe trajectory of growth.

There are different ways to enhance the change -capabilities of an organization and they include

The ultimate goal of the organization is to make itsemployees who are change-capable always to

Change would mean a better working environment where there is no barriers of communication between different levels of the management and each and every employee has embraced the value of aligning themselves to the overall strategic goal of the organization and has arrived at a win-win scenario to perform.

Related Questions

Navigate

• Browse (All)
• Browse P
• Subjects

Integrity-first tutoring: explanations and feedback only — we do not complete graded work. Learn more.