Newsletter | Volume 1

When employees are not sure what's expected of them, the results simply just cannot be useful, especially when the complexity of work and the pace of change is taken into consideration.

An company that develops a Committed Culture has unlocked the secret to a successful project execution and profitable growth. It has created a culture of positive accountability. This is a four part review of GRC corporate cultures that reflect and align and commitment to create positive accountability; The others are The Casual Culture, The Compliant Culture, The Chaotic Culture

There's no accounting or accountability for GRC issues the business faces if the managers and employees do not understand what they are held accountable in performing their roles, duties and responsibilities. Promote accountability and save hundreds of millions of dollars each year in both direct and indirect costs.

According to research, conducted by Florida State University's College of Business, 50 percent of workers who feel uncertain about their work accountabilities experienced higher levels of frustration, while 60 percent reporting mistrusting their leadership's communication.

The study, surveyed more than 750 blue- and white-collar employees across multiple job environments, sets out to determine how many employees do not know what is expected of them at work each day and how an understanding of accountability, or lack thereof, impacts work life.

Accountability Ambiguity
Fewer than 20 percent of employees reported feeling confident they knew what was expected of them at work each day, while the vast majority of workers reported varying levels of accountability ranging from "some" to "complete" ambiguity.

Workers who were uncertain of their accountabilities at work reported:

60 percent higher levels of mistrust with leadership as it relates to communication
50 percent higher levels of the overall work frustration
45 percent less control regarding the best way to complete their work
40 percent higher levels of work overload
35 percent fewer work accomplishments to the organization
33 percent less social and resource support from one's immediate supervisor
33 percent greater chance of searching for a new job within the next year
25 percent more business neglect

When considering the root cause of this uncertainty, most employees cite management's failure to be forthcoming and proactively improve communications until a lack of accountability triggers an organizational crisis. Furthermore, leaders are becoming more and more accountable, which usually takes them further from their employees.

Addressing Accountability: A Four-Step Plan
We recommend a four-step approach to dealing with accountability failures:

Set up a formal communication system using the most current and user-friendly technology, and make sure all employees are able to use it effectively.
Make employee accountability part of both the supervisor and employee performance evaluations.
Develop informal accountability networks (such as a buddy system) that allow employees real-time access to information needed to effectively focus attention on tasks considered most essential for that particular day.
Make accountability proactive rather than reactive.

Motivation to execute with accountability
Why should a business strive for a Committed GRC Culture? When your work force is fully engaged and transparent about its goals and responsibilities, your employees will be dedicated to the core. And a dedicated work force can inspire customer loyalty and generate new or repeat sales.

Engaging with a clear understanding of goals, a Committed GRC Culture on accountability can maximize the potential of the employees. Consistent monitoring of goals is what every manager should strive to achieve. Employees that work with clarity and purpose meet goals, and remain committed to their responsibilities and to fulfill them and make them accountable.

This is the case when they have an understanding of what goal accomplishment is recognized by their managers. They can then improve the responsibilities, attitudes and beliefs that release the drive to achieve more. This provides the energy and enthusiasm to perform with accountability, however a Committed Culture is not foolproof because:

An aligned, engaged culture must be nurtured to verify the required goals and performance standards.
Annual assessments on progress review can ensure if the employees have met their goals and the type of corrective action required to stay on track.

In the next newsletter, we review 3 other GRC corporate cultures that reflect and align and commitment to create positive accountability; The Casual Culture, the Compliant Culture, the Chaotic Culture

Source: Based on the study, conducted by Wayne Hochwarter, at Florida State University's College of Business,