A BETTER DEFINITION OF ACCOUNTABILITY IN THE WORKPLACE Please don’t google “definition of accountability in the workplace.” I just did, and the results are seriously disappointing. The posts and articles aren’t horrible, and they raise sensible points like accountability shouldn’t be about punishment and that it’s somehow about “taking responsibility” for actions and decisions. That’s all fine, but it’s also kind of scattered, and that’s why accountability has become an Inigo Montoya word — you keep using it, but I do not think it means what you think it means. And dictionary definitions don’t really help, because the word itself was long in use before we had the workplace context, and it has its root in counting and numbers, which ends up being distracting. I actually think workplace accountability needs its own separate definition. Because we all have an intuitive feeling that we need more accountability in the workplace, and if we had more/better accountability, we’d be performing better. I want us to take that out of the realm of intuition and into the realm of the clear and tangible. So here’s my crack at a definition:
WORKPLACE ACCOUNTABILITY: the creation and maintenance of a system that ensures agreed-upon results within a particular functional area (or the organization as a whole) are achieved. Accountability is not just about doing what you say you’re going to do, or admitting failure when you don’t. Accountability in the workplace is a system that is designed to make sure results are delivered. That can certainly include a record 30 | USSWIMSCHOOLS.ORG
BY JAMIE NOTTER PROPEL
