Management Accountability - The Secret Ingredient to Employee Performance

According to the report, Global Human Capital Trends 2015 by Deloitte University, global organizations today must navigate a “new world of work” – one that requires a dramatic change in strategies for leadership, talent and human resources.

The research went on to state that when comparing their results to last year’s, they found that the capability gap in organizational management and the workforce increased in magnitude, suggesting an accelerating economy; and rapid changes in the workforce have created even more urgency. The report suggests that the new performance management model must change with accountability focused in the areas of engagement, employee development and leadership to close the management/workforce gap.

What are your leadership and management strategies for this “new world”?

Performance management: the secret accountability ingredient

It appears that organizational management, performance evaluation and workforce rewards are the keys to this new work world model, with an emphasis on accountability. It requires agility, focus and measurable performance or accountability of management and leadership, not just the workforce.

To get ahead of the game, there are three distinct steps that need to be taken. While there may be numerous others that will help you make the shift, these are the three that will help you get started:

Evaluate – Where are you today? Nothing can change unless you evaluate what is working and what needs to change. You can’t expect different and better results if you continue to do everything the same way you did in the past. Methods and strategies have changed dramatically in the turn of the century. You also need to change to guarantee success in the new work world. Do not over-complicate this step. You should think macro not micro; big picture not details.

Determine where the focus and productivity flows in your organization and where things are working well. Make a note to review all areas where productivity, performance and profitability are getting stuck or not performing at maximum capacity. Walk around with a recorder or keep a running list of notes that you can use to uncover poor or absent performance and accountability problems. You need a fluid list so you can readily increase or decrease the number of items needing attention.

Involve – Creating solutions is no longer a top drop decision-making process. Who do you need input from to create your new system that will improve the way your organization works? It is important to make everyone from management to maintenance, leader to greeter more accountable and the best way to do that is to include a key person from every level of your organization. Move out of the C suite for this type of innovation – someone on the executive level may be part of the problem or might be standing in the way of forward movement.

Create an accountability team and rotate the participants to get a fair and accurate evaluation of problems and needs standing in the way of optimum performance and maximum productivity. In some situations you may need to hear about issues from more than one person or department before you can make an accurate assessment of what it will take to move forward. This same team can also be used for evaluating whether the correct solutions have been put into place, whether changes need to be made and the frequency necessary for reviews.

Empower – Accountability and performance improvement occur when everyone is on the same page with the same goals, a clear understanding of what is in it for them and how the work they do impacts their future and the future of your organization.

• Create clear channels of communication so that everyone at every level of your organization has a well-defined understanding of what is expected of them
• Make your communications orbital – have the workforce play back to you what you are communicating – only then will you have accountability
• Empower everyone at every level so that they have all the tools and knowledge at hand to increase performance
• Evaluate the results to see where corrections need to be made
• Reward, reward, reward! Publicly reward any one at any level for a job well done, going above and beyond expectations, or coming up with new solutions

In this new work world of multi-dimensional leadership, the management and the workforce must unite to create solutions. By using evaluation criteria and a public reward system, accountability and performance will rise increasing productivity, profitability and leading to long-term sustainability.

© Pat Heydlauff, all rights reserved 2015