You just returned from your company’s annual management conference, where the theme was accountability. There were a lot of speeches from senior executives and a few outside experts: “Every one of you is accountable for your actions!” said one. “Hold each other accountable!” implored another. And so on. You returned from the conference with your new “accountability” coffee mug and found an e-mail in your in-box from your boss, reminding you that “your job is to hold your people accountable.”
Accountability is the new watchword in just about every business. But what does it really mean?
Accountability means having to answer for one’s actions. The idea is compelling: if an employee knows that she ...
