I once was part of a group of management professors who often taught in executive development seminars. Other non-management professors in the school ran these. Occasionally these non-management professors would approach someone else in the management group to express their concerns about our teaching - they wouldn't approach the person who had taught for them.
For example, if I had taught the session, the professor - let's call him Larry - would approach my colleague Dick and tell him that he was concerned about my performance. After Dick tested his assumption that Larry hadn't given me this feedback, Dick asked what led him not to talk directly with me. Larry almost always said that he didn't want to upset me. Sometimes Larry or another professor would tell Dick that they wanted him to tell me their concerns, but not tell me that they had told him. Other times, they would request that Dick not tell me.
At this point Dick would ask, "What is your purpose in telling me if you don't want Roger to know?" Dick did not agree to their conditions - he held them accountable for their views. More about this later.
Different story, same organization: When the school was looking for the equivalent of a new Dean, there were three final candidates, all internal to the school. The search committee told the faculty that they would accept letters evaluating the three candidates, but that they would only give weight to signed letters.
I was in a bind. I very much wanted one candidate to get the position, and was very concerned about another candidate getting it. I wanted to write a letter, but I was an untenured assistant professor. I had reason to believe that if I signed it and the candidate I had great concerns about got the position, my tenure might be in jeopardy.
I checked with my colleague Kurt, who was also a member of the search committee. He said to me, "Roger, you teach this stuff - you don't have a choice." He held me accountable for my views. More about this later.
Both of these stories focus on the Skilled Facilitator principle of joint accountability. Being accountable means you are responsible for addressing your problems with others directly with them rather than avoiding them or asking others to handle them for you.
Joint accountability also means that you share responsibility for a situation, including the consequences it creates. If you are working with others on a task, you are jointly accountable to each other for performing the task and the consequences of your joint actions. If things don't work out as planned, rather than seek to blame others, you recognize that because you are part of a system, your actions contribute to either maintaining the system or changing it.
Chris Argyris' research and our experience at Roger Schwarz & Associates tells me that though this kind of accountability feels risky, people get far better results when they consistently apply it.
In many organizations I work with, senior executives call for people to be accountable for the work they perform, but not for the relationships that create the work. This is particularly true about joint accountability between co-workers. When someone has a concern about a co-worker, rather than talk directly with the co-worker, they talk to others about the coworker. This approach often gets them results they find totally unacceptable - yet they continue to apply it!
That's what was happening in my first story. My management faculty colleagues and I agreed that we would not allow colleagues to give feedback indirectly - we wanted more accountability.
We agreed that when Larry told Dick he didn't want me to know, Dick would say that I needed to know, otherwise I couldn't improve my performance, which was Larry's interest. Dick would agree to coach Larry on how Larry could give me feedback and Dick would even agree to be present to help Larry give me the feedback. If Larry still said he didn't want me to know, Dick would say that he couldn't honor an agreement that would withhold important information about my performance. Dick would tell Larry that he (Dick) planned to give me Larry's feedback and that I would likely come visit Larry to find out first hand what Larry's concerns were about my performance. When Dick gave me the feedback, I went to Larry's office and, with genuine curiosity, asked about his concerns with my performance. By working in this way, my management colleagues and I asked our other colleagues to be accountable to us directly and we were accountable to them.
And the second story? Kurt told me that if I was going to walk my talk, my only choice was to write a letter and sign it. I wrote the letter evaluating all three candidates using specific examples, and sharing my conclusions about their leadership ability based on the data I had. After emailing the letter to the search committee, I emailed a copy to all three candidates. I told them that, as my peers, I owed them the same feedback about their performance that I gave to the search committee. My only request was that if they had questions or concerns about what I wrote, that they talk with me directly.
Ten minutes after sending the email, the candidate who I was most concerned about knocked on my door and asked to talk. We had a difficult but productive conversation. He agreed with my data but came to different conclusions about his leadership ability. He thanked me for sharing the letter with him. We remained good colleagues as he became the equivalent of Associate Dean. And I got tenure.
How does your organization or the organizations you consult to handle this kind of accountability? How do you handle it yourself? Please join our free Mutual Learning Action Group (on our website) and post your thoughts so others can learn from you as well.
© 2005 Roger Schwarz
Roger Schwarz, Ph.D., is author of the international bestseller "The Skilled Facilitator: A Comprehensive Resource for Consultants, Facilitators, Managers, Trainers and Coaches" and co-author of the recent "Skilled Facilitator Fieldbook: Tips, Tools, and Tested Methods for Consultants, Facilitators, Managers, Trainers, and Coaches," both available on Amazon.com and via other quality booksellers.
You can subscribe on our site to Fundamental Change, Roger Schwarz & Associates' free, monthly ezine: http://www.schwarzassociates.com/fun damental_change.html In exchange for subscribing, you'll receive a link to a free .pdf copy of "Holding Risky Conversations," a chapter from our recently-published fieldbook.
We write Fundamental Change to help you create workplaces and communities that are simultaneously highly effective and that improve the quality of life.
Every month we:
* Address issues important to you as practitioners and leaders
* Share client examples and case studies
* Offer tips and tools for challenging situations
* Offer resources to help you become more effective.
Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation... Read More
If you sit at a computer for most of the... Read More
Have you ever tried to drive somewhere without proper directions?... Read More
Ten or so years ago, an international consultant, specializing in... Read More
What is a Virtual Assistant? A Virtual Assistant is a... Read More
We all know that achieving better alignment, synergy and cooperation... Read More
You've all heard the old joke about a consultant being... Read More
Have you ever heard yourself say to a team member... Read More
Being a leader isn't easy. Every one looks to you... Read More
IntroductionThe aim of this document is to provide advice and... Read More
Teleconferences can be a boon or a bust. On the... Read More
A trainer dryly discussing how to motivate people in an... Read More
Perfectionism can get in the way of building or marketing... Read More
Every one of us, in reality, has two people inside:... Read More
And is isn't hard - it's more about focusing on... Read More
Old style management doesn't encourage personal mind control, employees aren't... Read More
Take some bold steps and help your employees and business... Read More
If there is someone nearby as you read this look... Read More
As a business asset, they don't sit well on the... Read More
Too many businesses wait until a crisis occurs before they... Read More
I have been working with leading Business Improvement guru, Tim... Read More
You may have the MBA but if an internal critic... Read More
Assignment of Claims Act of 1986"....What does this mean for... Read More
Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation... Read More
Sometimes when I conduct my workshop on Effective Meetings, one... Read More
Performance Management is the act of managing personal or organizational... Read More
We get invited to attend so many "meetings" but do... Read More
"Ha!" you say. "For someone to make a statement like... Read More
Most of us have found ourselves working on a team... Read More
Test your assumptions about everything.Assumptions have a way of creeping... Read More
Integrity is very important to me, and I try hard... Read More
The second you quit being the 'best deal' for your... Read More
This article relates to the Career Opportunity competency, commonly evaluated... Read More
In many ways there are no secrets to implementing effective... Read More
SELECTING THE RIGHT PERSON: To whom should tasks be delegated?... Read More
A series of articles exploring the seven critical areas that... Read More
Many kinds of interferences or disturbances can confuse a message.... Read More
ISO 9001 2000, Getting startedBefore starting the ISO 9001 2000... Read More
You can boil down the difference between successful businesses and... Read More
The wellspring of confidence is belief. When you believe in... Read More
A year or so ago, I met Allan Kempert. Allan... Read More
You need to secure money for your project. You visit... Read More
Some say that in business as in sex: if it... Read More
"Ha!" you say. "For someone to make a statement like... Read More
The use of temporary services to stock a farm of... Read More
Before you start your own business one of the first... Read More
At one time or another, all of us have experienced... Read More
All of us have knowledge, expertise, and experience that others... Read More
As a recent employee to your job, you are becoming... Read More
What IS assertive communication? Assertive communication is the... Read More
If you own or operate a business in the UK,... Read More
Solving a big problem is a project: you're far more... Read More
Do you ever meet with resistance from other people -... Read More
This article begins with a tip of the hat to... Read More
I once was part of a group of management professors... Read More
Unfortunately, at least two thirds of much of the training... Read More
About a year ago, I had an opportunity to have... Read More
You, the Entrepreneur, are 'normally' a type-A individual. One who... Read More
Plan/prepare - lack of purpose causes aimless meetings. Know why... Read More
The Best Workplaces report (Financial Times, April 28, 2005) notes... Read More
Do you know how many customers you have that are... Read More
Look for sponsors and solution owners rather than problem owners.Everyone... Read More
Working virtually adds a whole new dimension to the phrase... Read More
I talked with a group of internal consultants last week... Read More
Picture all the people you know who are dynamic, successful... Read More
How content and satisfied are American employees? Not very!According to... Read More
Business Management |