Any aspiring professional should understand that the core values they have come to acquire play a huge role in the way their careers will turn out. Many operations of a business will also be impacted by the core values of that particular business. One value in particular, accountability, has been known to improve the ways in which employees and businesses as a whole operate. For owners and managers, accountability can help their employees feel more motivated to maintain higher levels of productivity and a higher overall satisfaction with their positions. This means that their employees can continue contributing to the bottom line of their organization in an effective manner, one that positively impacts their business. This post will provide a deeper breakdown of accountability in the office and how to ensure employees act with this value in mind.
For many businesses, the challenge comes in the form of managers being capable of instilling this value in their employees. Recent research would indicate that they’ve been struggling, though. Nearly four in five managers believe they have little to no effectiveness when trying to have their staff hold themselves accountable. This sets a terrible example for employees beneath their managers in a professional hierarchy, so much so that nearly nine in every ten employees believe their organizations need to better prioritize strategies to hold them accountable.
Fostering an organizational-wide culture of accountability starts from the top. Leaders of any organization must demonstrate their accountability day in and day out. Most importantly, when mistakes are made, leaders should be the most willing to admit to their downfalls and contribute to solving the issue at hand. Following this, the open communication regarding the mistakes and what was learned while solving them allows for lower-ranking managers and employees to avoid making the same mistakes in the future.
Creating an organization with such a standard for accountability requires employees willing to align with the goals and expectations of a company. Employees should be informed of their role and contributions to their organization from the day their brought on. Having a more precise understanding of how their position contributes to the overarching goals and mission of the organization they represent is imperative for fostering such a sense of accountability. In order for this to be accomplished, though, executives and managers have to more openly communicate with their employees. Allowing for an open-door type policy with employees can truly allow for all the conversations necessary to creating the best work environment to be had.
Any organization attempting to take on the challenge of revisioning their company culture will have to take a great deal of feedback and communication from every level of their organization. Understanding that every input of the organization is important in its functionality is what should keep organizations humble when considering how they can truly form a company culture that promotes success. For more information on how your organization can make the changes necessary to enable this culture, take a moment to review the infographic accompanying this post. Courtesy of Minute7.
