One of the questions I get asked the most regarding virtual work arrangements is, “How can I drive accountability when I never see my employees?”
There is no simple answer, but there are many proven strategies to improving accountability in the world of virtual work. It’s also important to recognize that efficient and effective work teams—virtual or co-located—need to be accountable to more than just the boss or the “to do” list.
Many organizations I’ve worked with have asked the question about accountability, in reference to personal accountability. Even more important, though, is organizational accountability—making sure that everyone, from the leaders to the front-line staff, is doing their part to ensure a well-functioning organization.
To drive organizational accountability, I look at three key components: timing, transparency, and teamwork. Below are some short case studies of companies that have enhanced their accountability and, in doing so, also improved their organizational effectiveness.
Case Study: Timing
One small organization I work with has less than 20 employees in an IT application field. Five of the employees are co-located and the rest work around the globe. One problem that challenged this group was meeting internal deadlines. They always met deadlines with clients, but internal timelines often went by the wayside. They were accountable to their customers, but not to each other.
I spoke with several of the employees and all of the leaders, and heard different reasons for why these deadlines were consistently unmet. The leaders said that the employees didn’t value the time of their colleagues. The employees said that they didn’t know the expectations—deadlines and due dates were unclear. They also didn’t understand why internal deadlines were important if they were meeting their clients’ expectations.
So, how did we drive accountability by adjusting how this organization thinks about time?
First, we adjusted how deadlines were created. Challenges were being encountered because the leaders were failing to account for time zone differences within their global staff. Next, instead of the co-located leaders determining due dates, they actively began to build accountability by allowing their employees to determine the internal deadlines (within reason).
Once employees weren’t being asked to deliver work at 3 a.m., more deadlines were reached and goals were more easily accomplished.
Case Study: Transparency
Another organization has gone through some fundamental changes in its business structure. This organization is a home health agency with more than 500 employees spread over two states. Their accountability challenge was actually a reversal—rather than the leaders wanting accountability from their employees, the company was experiencing turnover due to lack of leader accountability. Employees were leaving the company, making exit comments such as, “I’m scared for the future of this organization. My manager doesn’t know what I do. I have no idea what she does.”
This organization drove accountability by increasing its transparency. Because the staff didn’t know what the leadership was doing, they were very skeptical of business decisions being made. Rumors were rampant that the organization was being sold, going out of business, or acquiring another organization. Rumors and the “unknown” led to much of the turnover and employee dissatisfaction.
The leadership team changed their tactics and held an all-staff meeting to address the concerns. Staff was either physically present, video conferencing, or viewing a live recording of the meeting, ensuring that everyone was receiving the same message. The organization continued the progress toward transparency by holding round table discussions with small groups of staff. Leaders from the corporate office traveled to each of the seven off-site locations to have these intimate, face-to-face discussions about the future of the business.
By continuing these efforts to be more transparent, this organization has reduced the turnover it was experiencing and leaders are now more accountable to their staff.
Case Study: Teamwork
The next organization that was challenged by accountability was a consulting business comprised of approximately 100 employees. It employs sales people and business consultants, with 10 leaders at the top.
Like many virtual businesses, the staff worked very independently and rarely collaborated. However, this company was having problems with new hires learning their roles. They had a brief orientation plan, but new consultants were not completing critical business functions.
Leaders complained that the new hires weren’t accountable; whereas the new hires were busy trying to learn the role. They perceived that asking questions of their leaders was an indication that they were incapable of doing their job, so they didn’t ask.
Driving accountability within this organization meant increasing the teamwork and collaboration of the staff. In truth, the managers did not have time to answer questions from their new hires, but they also needed more accurate work production.
To bridge this gap, peer review panels were put in place. Each new hire was given a mentor group of two to three seasoned consultants with whom they met regularly. These panels allowed the new hires to ask questions in a safe and structured environment, increasing the quality of their work product while also developing the mentors and their internal relationships.
Each organization had its own challenges in driving accountability. By focusing on time, transparency, and teamwork each was able to avoid some of the pitfalls that virtual work arrangements present. While it is difficult for some business leaders to give up the control that physically sharing space with employees can provide, virtual offices can be very effective and still accountable.
To learn more, attend the Essentials of Managing Remote Workforces that I facilitate online for ATD. The next workshop begins December 2, 2014.
