Accountability Doesn't Work
CREATE A CULTURE OF OWNERSHIP 

 

The outcry is loud and clear: public agencies must be held accountable!

It follows that if the agency is going to be held accountable, employees who make up the agency should be held accountable, too. As a result, public sector leaders are considering accountability initiatives intended to improve the performance of public employees. And it won't work.

What does it really mean to "hold someone accountable?" The common interpretation is that if something doesn't turn out like it was supposed to, someone will be blamed. The term accountability implies fault and guilt. When we are "held accountable" our natural reaction is to become defensive, to come up with excuses, or to point fingers.

In addition to being blame-focused, the traditional approach to accountability is past-focused. The focus is on what has already happened and on who is responsible. Accountability is negative and unproductive.

Public officials have faced their share of accountability lately.  From Bell, CA to the Secret Service, we're all under more scrutiny than ever before. Between watchdog groups, blogs, and an ever-critical media, it seems accountability is the buzzword of the 21st century. 

Don't get me wrong. Public agencies do need to be accountable to constituents, and they must always act responsibly, in the best interest of those they serve. And employees do too. But in employee relations, accountability is not the pathway to a successful, thriving organizational culture.

So how do we enhance the performance of public employees without holding them accountable?




Final Footnotes
NEWS & EVENTS FROM MARNIE

This November our team has a lot to be thankful for. We are continuing to make progress on our new website and licensed training products. We are planning a new live webinar series for the New Year, and we continue to hear from existing and new clients who are engaging us in their organizational development efforts.

Between now and the end of the year I'll be serving clients including Arizona State University, the City of Fremont, CA, Yavapai College, the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, and the Denali Alaskan Federal Credit Union. I'm thankful to each of these organizations for trusting me to impact their organizational culture.
 
Marnie Green
As always, if there is anything I can do to support your performance management efforts, just give me a call at 480-705-9394 or shoot me an email
 
Happy Thanksgiving!
 
Marnie E. Green, CSP, IPMA-CP
Principal Consultant

 

 

November 2014
Accountability Doesn't Work
Final Footnotes
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