Responsibility vs. Accountability
"You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means." - Inigo Montoya
The definitions for responsible and accountable are, in fact, very similar. Type 'responsible' into a Word document and the first synonym is ‘accountable.' We often use these words interchangeably in business because we are referring to the person that is responsible / accountable for a decision, outcome, result, etc. It's one of the reasons we consultants use Responsibility-Accountability-Consulted-Informed (RACI) matrices. Even in those models, the 'R' and 'A' are often in the same box - which defeats the value of the distinction in my mind. But I digress.
While I acknowledge that we could have a lively debate about definitions I want to make an important distinction - source. When considering a single person, the words are interchangeable. But in a team, the distinction is both more nuanced and more important. After all, very few people truly work alone.
The great NFL coach Bill Belichick is often quoted as saying to his players, "Do your job." What you don't hear him say, or what you don't see, is what happens when someone doesn't. What happens, generally, is that other members of the team address that player (in all manner of forms) to 1) understand why they didn't do their job and well, in the case of the NFL, 2) motivate them to do so. [Though NFL salaries can be considered motivation enough.]
Now in the corporate world we might not use the same motivational techniques as a football team, but I assert that the concept is no different.
In a great team, each team member is responsible for themselves and simultaneously accountable to the other members of the team. I assert that this definition of accountability is most important - joint accountability.
To be clear, joint accountability should not be punitive in nature (though it can be). In great teams, team leaders help new members understand the ways of working and rules of the road. Great teams understand 'how we do things' and, most importantly, 'how we don't do things.' This stands for strong cultures as well. It doesn't mean that those ways of working can't change. It just means that the team has established an expectation among its members that each member will follow the code.
So, what does this look like? Well…stated in the first-person it is: 1) I commit to being responsible for my job and role on the team, 2) I and we collectively commit to hold others to our standards -and 3) if I, or any member of the team, fail to live up to that standard, I or they can hold me accountable. This includes, importantly, helping me get better.
It is the multi-directional nature of joint accountability that creates great teams – the idea that you have my back, and I have yours. Even if that means delivering a tough message.
How are you building joint accountability in your teams?
As for how this post started, I once thought it was inconceivable to get a Princess Bride line into a LinkedIn post.
