Basic Accountabilities: Commitment, Team Working Relationships, Continuous Improvement

This material builds on the principles and practices described in the two earlier articles and is based on the work of Elliott Jaques. This content may shock some or challenge long-held assumptions about work and working relationships. Why? Because we don’t all work in trusting environments or with managers who are true leaders. I propose the following as an alternative mode of working based on ‘shared’ – management and non-management alike – accountabilities for commitment, team relationships, and continuous improvement. Enjoy.

Accountability refers to something that someone is required to do by virtue of being in an organizational role. While expectations about duties and goals may vary by individual and job, the Basic Accountabilities described below need everyone’s commitment – management and non-management – to foster and strengthen trust.[i] Referred to here as “basic”, these Accountabilities are far from common. While many consider the behaviours relating to commitment, team-working relationships, and continuous improvement as going above-and-beyond in the workplace, they why should they be nice-to-dos or optional? When team members discuss, understand, and agree to them, managers can realize the benefits of collaboration, transparency, and creativity, as depicted in the figure above.

When these Accountabilities are discussed, understood, and agreed to, people can get on with their work, proactively generating continuous improvement ideas, trusting team members to support and back them up. They don’t need to worry about constant management monitoring or involvement. Managers trust their team to work collaboratively and problem-solve creatively, unless advised otherwise. Establishing the Basic Accountabilities as non-negotiable sets the foundation for effective Managerial Leadership and employee satisfaction.  Below, we look at each one, and how they build a foundation for a mutually supportive workplace.

1. Commitment

The first Basic Accountability – commitment - has three components. First, we demonstrate commitment when we bring our full set of skills and abilities to our jobs. We also exhibit commitment when we work within the limits established with our manager. These limits relate to the resources, policies, and practice constraints around our work that are established when jobs are designed, and tasks assigned. Finally, we are all responsible for proactively informing our manager when, for whatever reason, our ability to complete the work as assigned is in question. 

Consider the implications of this last point. When explained, discussed, and agreed to, a manager can trust someone to deliver on their promises, unless informed otherwise. This simple action eliminates the need for excessive monitoring, worry, or the duplication of efforts that are common in many organizations. It also leaves the door open in the event someone encounters unanticipated circumstances that are making their job more difficult – or easier!

2. Team-Working Relationships

Why are team relationships so important? 

The world is becoming more technologically complex, interdependent, and culturally diverse, which makes the building of relationships more and more necessary to get things accomplished and at the same time more difficult. Relationships are the key to good communication; good communication is the key to successful task accomplishment. (Schein, 2013, p. 62)

The team-working relationships accountability involves actively participating as a team member and maintaining productive team relationships. As part of a department, you may not like everyone you work with, but it’s our responsibility to work effectively with them in the pursuit of departmental goals.  As “effective coordination can arise through the successful facilitation of interpersonal interactions and relationships” (Banks et al., 2016, p. 1063), the need for managerial control is again significantly diminished. 

3. Continuous Improvement

Quality is part of every job. When organizations clearly establish that problem-solving and new ideas are not only “valued and desired” (Bryon & Khazanchi, 2012, p. 823) but part of every employee’s role, creative behaviour increases. When people are held accountable for quality, we eliminate the need for suggestion box awards and inspections. This accountability involves proactively generating ideas to improve work processes, departmental effectiveness, and team performance. This “general leadership responsibility” means taking initiative to share “whatever specialized knowledge or ability the situation demands” (Jaques and Clement, 2003, p. 32; see also Deming, 1986). 

To summarize, is it possible to expect “full competence and enthusiasm” (Jaques & Clement, 1991, p. 185) and “energetic and effective collaboration” (p. 201) from everyone in the workplace? Yes.. It is the leader’s job to establish expectations for these Basic Accountabilities and to remove barriers, and facilitate opportunities, to practice them. As Gerdeman states “[L]eaders should try to foster an atmosphere where people have a deep commitment toward helping one another…it means creating a culture where people feel a shared sense of purpose, identify with the group, have trust in coworkers, and share in rewards” (2017).

[i] See Jaques & Clement, Executive Leadership. A Practical Guide to Managing Complexity, 2003. The three Basic Accountabilities described here are based on the work of Jaques and Clements (p. 156)