This term is common within companies and digital marketing, but if you haven't read or heard it before, don't worry, because in this post we tell you all about Accountability.
read on to make sure you don't miss a thing on this topic!
what is accountability?
Accountability in English could be translated as accountability or responsibility, and this concept refers to the personal responsibility and attitude that each individual has within a work environment regarding the actions undertaken and the results achieved. In other words, a worker who carries out Accountability is one who takes an active stance in the face of problems and adversities at work instead of avoiding his or her responsibilities.
One could say that it is the optimal way of working within a company, because the employee fulfils his or her tasks. But it is not only applied individually, but also at team level, i.e. everyone can embrace this corporate culture, starting with the management team.
It could be said that accountability within a company or organisation is the way to execute tasks and projects without shirking responsibilities.
Key factors of accountability
There are three basic factors within Accountability that are fundamental for it to work within a company:
- Proactivity. Within this methodology, employees are not only there to receive orders, they are not passive subjects, but quite the opposite. Workers are responsible for their work, they are committed to meet the objectives and actively participate in projects and tasks. By being committed to their role within the company, they carry out the necessary actions to fulfil their work in an active and participative way.
- Commitment: An employee within a company following Accountability is committed to fulfil the tasks, projects and duties of his or her job. Each person takes ownership of the task assigned to him or her to deliver it with the best quality and on time.
It is important that the member of the company does not accept competencies that are beyond his or her abilities or that he or she cannot carry out due to lack of time.
- Responsibility: This is the last of the key factors of Accountability, but not the least important, as they are all necessary. The worker accepts responsibility for the task assigned, the objectives to be achieved and the results obtained. In other words, he/she is responsible whether everything goes as expected or if mistakes arise. But in this work methodology it is understood that setbacks can arise and that workers are human beings who can make mistakes. It is therefore important to accept responsibility for the work in order to take control and solve unforeseen events.
In Accountability, it is important to encourage recognition at work so that the worker is recognised in a positive way for a job well done. The people who form part of the team of a company within this methodology should also be able to ask for help if they are not able to make progress with a task and even ask for additional training to increase their skills.
how to implement Accountability in a company?
You already know what Accountability is and what are its main factors, now we tell you how it is the best way to apply it in a company. The best practices to start implementing this methodology in a company are:
- do not blame external factors. As we have explained, mistakes can happen and that's OK, the important thing is to accept them and look for solutions. Do not look for excuses or blame others for the failures. This starts with the company's management, if they are the first to make excuses, the rest will also do the same.
- recognition of merit: It is clear that if an employee's work is recognised, it is an extra motivation for him or her. It is good to highlight work well done, not just failures.
- look for quick and effective solutions. You have already seen that in a company with Accountability it is understood that setbacks and failures can arise, but the important thing is how you react to them. You do not try to hide them and ignore them, but to identify them and find a solution as soon as possible.
- measure actions: "Everything that is not measured cannot be improved" This phrase is very popular in the world of digital marketing, but not only in this area. For people to be able to improve and take responsibility for their work they need to see whether the actions they are carrying out are getting the expected results or not. Therefore, using measurement systems to control the results that are being obtained is important. In addition, measuring continuously helps to observe the strengths and where the weaknesses are and, therefore, where changes have to be made.
now it is your turn to observe and evaluate if this methodology adapts to your business. But as you have read throughout this article, Accountability is very effective for reasons such as not penalising failures, but looking for solutions, where the worker is responsible for their work but based on their skills and the time they have to perform the various tasks assigned. In addition, it is a system where a job well done is recognised by the company.
In terms of accountability, it should be emphasised that everything starts with the management team, who are the first to adopt this way of working.
we hope you have enjoyed this reading!
