The Accountability Factor

In recent years, I’ve found myself struggling with the topic of performance/behavior, in the light of who gets to “claim the prize” for successes. The fact I am thinking about this isn’t all that surprising to me because my profession is all about improving performance/behavior in connection with change. But I wonder if some of the work I do is more for the sake of justifying my job and, ultimately, is unnecessary. (Photo source: https://www.zazzle.com/hot_coffee_mug-168540722393267765)

[Cue flashback – wiggly lines – transition from present to past.]

In late 2006 I read a discussion about a person’s capability vs. ability to get things done. This was an enlightening discussion because it visualized the concept in simple terms. To paraphrase, people are capable of accomplishing an enormous amount of activity, but are not able to because of barriers. The illustration for capability was a ball at the top of a hill, with the meaning “the ball is capable of rolling to the bottom of the hill.” The illustration for ability was the same ball at the top of the same hill, but with a rock halfway down, with the meaning “the ball, capable of rolling to the bottom of the hill, is not able to roll completely down because of the barrier.” OK, I mean, WOW—such a complex concept, simplified so that even a kindergartener could comprehend it.

[Cue flashback end. Fade to black, then to commercial.]

So then, why is such a simple concept so foreign or so often ignored in the workplace? Of late, I believe many refuse to accept the magnitude of capability for fear of losing their jobs (because their job was rendered unnecessary in the light of this concept). I struggle everyday in my role because my peers in the performance improvement practice insist on finding the absolute lowest common denominator, and use that as the baseline for knowledge, skill, and attitude definition. Now, I’ll be upfront with all of you. There was a time when I did believe and practice this. But I have reversed my thinking, for the greater good.

Sure, by designing performance improvements to the lowest common denominator, everyone, on paper, will be able to comprehend the change and should change their performance. But that is just on paper. What about the population who are miles above the lowest? By doing it this way, we tend to insult the achiever’s capability. And, what if, by using the lowest common denominator, we are merely reinforcing minimal performance? What if, and here’s a wild thought, the lowest common denominator is based on a person’s ability and not capability, and we’re that rock getting in the way?

And this is where the accountability factor enters from stage left (because spoon-feeding needs be exiting stage right, don’tcha think???). I am witnessing a phenomenon in which society accepts that individuals are not accountable for their conscious actions. Whether the action is workplace performance or social/civil performance, we are always able to pass the blame onto someone else. Recall McDonald’s hot coffee incident? Honestly, coffee is hot (by culinary standards it should be served just under boiling, near 200 degrees Fahrenheit), so didn’t we learn in pre-school that hot things hurt? So shouldn’t we derive that a hot item held between our legs will hurt if spilled on our legs?

It may just be me, but I suspect Thomas Payne has rolled over in his grave by now. Common sense seems to no longer exist. Have we, as a society, truly lost our capability to think on our own, or is it that we are no longer able to think on our own because of some kind of obstacle. I’m an optimist, very positive thinker, very patient, and a rationalizor (yes, new word, just made it up). I truly believe the latter. In fact, I believe the obstacle facing society in the grander picture is information and knowledge. There is so much information available today that it makes it difficult to be a knowledgeable person; but as I have written before, we can overcome this obstacle. (I doubt the general public knows that coffee’s proper temperature is 200 degrees Fahrenheit.)

OK, that was a short, but relevant tangential drive through the countryside. In the workplace, employees are not given the credit they deserve, and this is apparent in the simplistic, ever-too-detailed training solutions that are created to solve performance issues. If society as a whole is challenged by information overload, a company’s workforce most likely is as well. Dare I propose that performance issues today are different from yesterday, and that today’s are not skill-based, rather knowledge and information based? Because enterprise-wide informational resources and tools (e.g., knowledge management, collaboration, and reference disciplines) do not widely exist, or are not trustworthy, we have established a workplace which cannot be accountable for it’s own excellence.

Employees want to do their best, but become frustrated when a process or unavailable information gets in the way. Employee performance excellence, and for that matter, company performance excellence, is faced with an obstacle. In many cases, the employees cannot overcome this obstacle because it was placed by others in the workplace who have a guard standing by saying, “You cannot overcome me. I am here to disrupt your capability.” The optimist in me says, “What a wonderful opportunity for performance improvement practitioners to evolve and really contribute to their company’s performance excellence.” Training departments (using this term loosely) are usually in a position to see the grander picture and address enterprise-wide performance issues. Sadly, I don’t see this happening as I witness so many of my peers unable to see this grander picture. I wonder, what are their obstacles? I wonder, if they are capable to see things systemically or only able to specifically?

I guess for now, employees cannot be held accountable for their own learning, performance, and behavior. Thus, another obstacle revealed on the path to excellence.

[This one has been brewing (no coffee pun intended) for a long time. It feels good to put this one out there for your contemplation and discussion.]