What Is Accountability And Its Importance For Companies

The term ” accountability ” sounds strong in the world of marketing and business, but it is not so easy to define it the first time. As we will see in this article, the concept of accountability is related to both individual responsibility and accountability. Understanding it and, above all, putting it into practice both at the level of management and individual workers is essential for a company’s success.

What Is Accountability?

The term “accountability” Still, we could say that the concept refers to each individual’s responsibility regarding the actions undertaken and the results achieved. An accountable worker is one who actively positions himself in front of problems rather than shirking his responsibility.

We talk about accountability at each worker’s level, but we can also consider it at the level of the entire company. In a company with accountability, a culture favors responsibility and transparency regarding the results achieved, starting with management.

Accountability plays a fundamental role in companies since it fosters a proactive attitude. Problems are identified and resolved quickly instead of passing the “brown” to another team member. We can talk about three different factors that are a fundamental part of accountability:

• Accountability: This is perhaps the most significant factor in accountability. We accept responsibility for the assigned tasks and the objectives to be achieved, whether they go well or fail. For a company to put accountability into practice, it is essential to understand that we are all human and can make mistakes; the important thing is to work to fix them when they occur. In the same way, you also need to foster a culture of recognition of accomplishments and have them attributed to the right people.
• Proactivity: In a company with accountability, employees are not simple taxpayers waiting to receive orders. Rather, they take responsibility for their work and commitment to their role, looking for ways to achieve their goals and suggesting and implementing changes and improvements whenever necessary.
• Commitment: A worker with accountability takes charge of the duties of his position and the tasks assigned to him and undertakes to fulfill them. To make this commitment a reality, you mustn’t accept obligations that go beyond your current capabilities or your available time and energy. You should also be able to request additional training or homework assistance when necessary.

Accountability And Metrics In Marketing

In the marketing world, it is said that “what is not measured cannot be managed.” If accountability involves making us responsible for the results achieved, it is logical to think that these results must be measured continuously to have objective criteria on what is happening.

But to implement a culture based on accountability, we must not only measure “classic” metrics such as market share, brand recognition, or ROI but also others such as:

• The company’s most “abstract” assets include branding, quality of service, customer focus, or reputation. Attributing a short-term ROI to this asset class can be tricky; therefore, the key is to consider marketing as an investment and not just an expense.
• The work is done. Marketers have to dare to experiment and try new things, even if the results are not always as expected. Accountability involves recognizing when a good job has been done and investing time and effort, even if this is not reflected in standard metrics.
• The happiness in the company. Job satisfaction is linked to the well-being of each team member and productivity and permanence in the company, so measuring and promoting it is essential to create a good corporate culture.

Five Good Accountability Practices For Companies

You may be wondering how to put the concept of accountability into practice to take advantage of its benefits in your company. These good practices will help you embark on the path of responsibility:

• Implement adequate measurement systems. So that people can take responsibility for their work, it is necessary that we can look at both the actions carried out and the results achieved. Thus, we can identify both the good work and the areas to improve and implement the appropriate measures in each situation.
• Recognize the merits. When our good work is recognized, we have extra motivation to give the best of ourselves. That is why recognizing and pointing out what is going well is more important than detecting faults. Responsibility is for both the bad and the good.
• Don’t blame external factors. Creating a company with accountability involves creating a culture where errors and failures can be assumed as their own, starting with management. We must not fall into the temptation to find guilt or make excuses but openly admit that we have made a mistake and put a solution to it. Creating a company with accountability is not about pointing out the flaws or blaming but identifying what is not working to improve it.
• Look for quick and effective solutions. There is no use trying to hide gaffes or letting time pass for them to fall into oblivion in a responsible company. Once an error has been identified and recognized, we must proactively get to work to resolve it as soon as possible. Thus, we are creating an environment of continuous improvement that has a positive impact on the company’s results.
• Measure, iterate, and start over. Accountability is based on facts, that is, on continuously measuring what is happening both at the level of actions and results. This allows us to see the strengths and areas for improvement, change what is not working and continue to improve continuously.

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